The Human: Barbarian or Angel? A Different Disney High School
by Willow Jade Flower
Summary: Ariel's wish to become human comes true, only she is thrown into the modern world and enters high school. A different take on the high school fanfic with all your favorite characters, a dash of magic and reality thrown in Ariel's first week of school is ending, and she is not the only one who is relieved. However, the chaos of this new world is just beginning.
1. Chapter 1: Under the Sea

**I've had this idea for quite a long time. This is in Ariel's point of view as she searches for the answer to her question about these strange creatures called "humans".**

**Disclaimer: I do not and will not ever own Disney nor its characters. **

* * *

**Chapter One: Under the Sea**

Daddy called them barbarians. Fish-eaters, killers, the foul names the merfolk have for the creatures on land past the surface.

But I've watched them.

I've watched them from afar, curious ever since I've heard about them, and found my first human treasure.

I've heard so much about them from my dear friend Scuttle, but that was only one part of my discoveries.

I've watched them save beached whales, rescue trapped dolphins, and lead baby turtles to safety.

I've watched them pick up human objects that hurt the fish and cloud the water with discomfort from the beach and in its shallow ends.

I've watched them play in the water, laughing and splashing, frightening the fish but making me want to join in the fun.

I've seen them absorbed in their objects, wonderful things I've collected.

I've studied the things that had fallen into the ocean from their world, from dinglehoppers to watchamacallits and thingymabobs, and have only grown curiouser.

I've longed to dance the way they do, running with their feet pounding the sand, and wear what they wear, and see what they see. It is like something is pulling me towards them, but my place in the sea has always held me back in a frantic tug-a-war.

And I've seen _him_.

* * *

I was in my grotto when a dark shadow swallowed the light that came through the hole at the top. Only curious, and ignoring my friends' pleas to stay, surfaced.

The enormous human transport was cutting through the waves, joyful sounds drifting from its deck. Aching to hear more, I swam closer and hoisted myself up towards a hole in the side where I could see. I've never seen them so close before, dancing and shouting and gripping the things I would hold close to my heart.

When _he_ went back to save another creature of the land, I only saw the human's _bravery_. _Chivalry. _Going back for something my daddy claimed they deem inferior to themselves, risking his _life_ - it told me so much. This, coupled with my general fascination with humans, led me to save his life. He had been thrown into the water by the fiery explosion that frightened even me.

When I dragged him up on land, he was ragged and injured, but breathing deeply. I couldn't help but be fascinated by his features. I've never _seen_ a human so close, nontheless _be_ so _close. _I hesitantly brushed a jet-black lock from his face, dark and handsome. What really struck me was how _alike_ he was to the faces of the merpeople. They were so _alike _to us, the way they have different personalities and love to play and help. What was really different was the fact that they all had legs, and could make such amazing things.

I was so terrified he wouldn't wake up, and was so relieved when I watched another human, thin and tall, help the poor, baffled boy up. As I hid behind a rock and watch the two stagger away, I could only hope and wish that one day, I could be part of that world.

* * *

"I consider myself a reasonable merman. I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed."

"But Dad, I... "

"Is it true you rescued a human from drowning?"

"Daddy, I had to... "

"Contact between the human world and the mer world is strictly forbidden. Ariel, you know that! Everyone knows that."

"He could have died!"

"One less human to worry about!" Daddy roars. I'm horrified at his indifference to a lost life. A human, a "barbarian", but a life nonetheless. I tuck myself away, trying to hide from his furious gaze, amongst my trinkets and treasures. I cross my arms defiantly, glaring at the stony wall.

"You don't even know him," I say bitterly.

"Know him? I don't have to know him, they're all the same! Spineless, savage, harpooning fish-eaters, incapable of any feeling of..."

"Daddy, for once can't you look past the fact they are slightly different from us? Why do you make the assumption just because one human is, the rest are? I don't care! I want to be like them!" I finally burst out on impulse. That, as well as looking back at him, is a terrible mistake.

His eyes blaze with the rage of a lost temper. His trident glows a fierce gold. "So help me, Ariel, I am going to get through to you; if this is the only way, so be it!" My anger melts away, my eyes widening as I realize what he was going to do.

"Daddy, _no!_"

A thingamajig is hit with a beam, glowing brightly before shattering into pieces. I scream, my desperate pleas and sobs falling on deaf ears. A piece of me breaks as each treasure, each one carefully collected, brought, and studied over the years, is destroyed. Most turn to a pile of black that drift apart in the water, impossible to piece together again. To watch the destruction of my passion, the home of my discoveries and interest, it severed my trust of my daddy, having done something I will never forgive.

As the light died, and a dreadful gloom fall over my grotto as I stare at what was left of my precious collection, its remains scattered through the water. I turn away from my father and throw myself to the stone ground, sobbing. I could hear the rush of water as my father left with a whisk of his tail, and cry harder. I could feel the prescence of my good friend, Flounder, and the rather unwanted prescence of Sebastian. I hear their voices, and, with a hollow feeling in my chest, cry, "Go away. Leave me alone."

* * *

My sisters offer no sympathy as I return, face flushed and eyes as red as my hair. They agree with my father. I pass their cold eyes and stiff bodies and lay upon my bed, burying my face. They've always seen my obsession with humans "unhealthy" and still haven't forgiven me for ruining the concert they've practiced for for so long.

And for once, I feel completely and utterly alone.

* * *

I feel so trapped. There is a coldness between me and my family that is unfamiliar and unbearable. I push my friends away as I wallow in self-pity, for I've been banned from returning to the surface and from even touching one human treasure. The day after the destruction of my trove, I return there. I kneel amongst the the blackened pieces, but I don't cry. I've bawled enough the day before.

As I sit there, feeling lost and more than ever wanting to go to the surface, I notice the glow of gold. My curiosity gets the better of me, and I follow. As I get near it, though, it would vanish and another would appear a little farther away. It went through a kelp forest, so I didn't realize to whom the golden lights belonged until I saw two eels, both with one golden eye, vanish into a cave.

* * *

Ursula has an odd, cryptic aura about her, but she seems friendly and willing to help. I try to ignore the many sculptures of eels, sharks, and these small limp creatures she has littered through her home.

But wait. Did that statue just float up, drift up nonchalantly and tuck itself away on a shelf, then shift a bit to the right to face forward? A current couldn't do that naturally, not without magic involved...

"You're a witch!" I exclaim in realization. "A sea witch!"

"What? Oh, of course no -" she notices the sculptures moving, and quickly lashes one black tentacle, and they still.

"But you are! Yes!" Another realization spun through my head that electrified me, filling me dreams of that possibility. "I need a spell."

"I am not a witch, just a humble hybrid trying to sell her wares," Ursula says hurriedly, scooping up various sculptures into her tentacles and spinning around, holding them around her round, violet face. "Of course, if you don't want anything..."

"Fine!" I say quickly. "I'll take the lot!"

Ursula pauses. "Then we must discuss the subject of payment," she replies, eyeing me carefully. "You don't get something for nothing, you know." I snap a bracelet off my wrist and hold it up - it bore a sandollar, two shells, and a royal family coin that I no longer bothered to keep. One of her tentacles snatch it from me abruptly.

"And a spell," I add.

Studying it, especially the coin, Ursula slowly says, "Done. What do you need?"

"I want to be human," I say, a note of begging in my voice. She frowns at me.

"You want to be human?" Ursula doesn't seem to be surprised. "Honey, that is a highly difficult spell. You see, you are considered an elusive sea creature the humans deem a legend. To transform you into a creature that usually has a soul and a mind would not only be difficult but dangerous. You don't know just how different these two creatures are. You might develope a human mind and not a conscience and be lost to it forever. You hear me?"

I hear her, but I'm not listening to half of what she's saying. "I'll do anything," I say.

She studies me, and something falls over her face that's somewhat sinister. "If you're whole-heartedly want this, than I need something more than a family heirloom. I'll have to make you a deal."

I straighten my back and look at her in the eye. "Name it, then."

"I'll give you three weeks on land. Three weeks, get it? Now, by the time those three weeks are over, you need to find love with another human. Love is a powerful thing, and a true love's kiss will be able to seal the magic and give you legs permanently. However, if you don't find true love and wish to return to the sea after those weeks are up, you must be in the ocean - in the ocean, mind you - and willingly. Otherwise, you'll turn into sea foam. Unless, of course, you manage to earn a human soul in those three weeks and live forever, but I suppose you'll want to become a human or mermaid more."

"Er -"

"Now, that is the deal. Now for payment. I don't ask for much, just a lock of your hair, a drop of your blood, and your memories."

"Whoa whoa, wait, what?"

Ursula sighs. "Your hair and your blood, to make the actual spell work. I'll keep this bracelet, but I'll also need your memories of the sea. Of being a mermaid."

I swallow. "My... memories? Then that means... I won't remember my father, or sisters, or Flounder, or Sebastian-"

"That's right," Ursula says, as if just realizing that. "Well, it's your choice, sweetheart, but I'll mainly keep the memory of who you are."

"Why my memories?" I say. "Doesn't the thing you get ... help you in some sort of way or is more... I don't know, more ..."

"Your generosity and consideration is touching, but who you are - well, you are a mermaid, of passion and a strong will, with friends and family, and those link to who you are - and you know this. Up there, humans scramble for the secret of who they are even though it's a little simpler than all those calculus equations. If you are to become human, it's significant, and special, if you will. I'll give it back if you choose to return to the sea after three weeks. The others I will have to hide in the darkest regions of your thoughts, and it will be up to you to pull them out. Now you are very strong-willed, so I think you'll have not too many problems with that. Surely you are glad I did not ask for your real name, just a shadow and the awareness of it."

As I hesitate, she draws up a golden contract, the same color as my father's trident and the glowing orbs that led me here. "Just sign your name, darling, and I will have you off above the surface in no time!" she says, a sort of a mad gleam in her eye. After making a firm decision, I grab the skeletal pen and scribble my signature, sealing the deal.

After that, I couldn't remember anything - anything at all.

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was more written as a prologue to describe more of what I think was Ariel's deeper thoughts about humans. She raises them on a pedestal and has observed them more than the movie lets on.**

I'm trying to fit in many aspects of all the Disney movies I've watched. Ursula is more wise and like Mama Odie, Tia Dalma, and the old witch from Brave, but don't worry - her personality from the movie shows up in Vanessa. ;)  
Let me know in what way I can improve! ;)  



	2. Chapter 2: What's This?

**Disclaimer: I do not own any familiar aspect of Disney nor its characters. I am doing this for my own and others' pleasure.**

* * *

I wake up.

My nose and throat burns, my cheek against the sand. Cool waves ripple over my calves as I lay on my stomach, tangled up in something unfamiliar.

I cough. _Where am I?_ I wonder, and panic as I realize I hadn't a clue.

At first, words were a mystery to me, and my thoughts were like a newborn baby's. Luckily, words slowly returned like the tide, though to my relief they stayed. I carefully sit up. An enormous white, thin thing is wrapped around me as if I had randomly twirled within it, a dark brown cord lying in a heap in my lap. I arrange the thing around me more tightly, taking surprising comfort in the feeling of it against my bare skin. Seeing as it kept falling down or getting loose, I use the cord and wrapped it around me as well.

The water kept kissing and licking at my feet, which I stare at in wonder. They are large and pale, with little stubby fingers at the end. I wiggled them, a childlike delight rising through me. I reach over to touch them feeling a strange, burning pain in my legs. It went away as I leaned back again.

I have a curious fascination with these appendages, these legs, smooth and white and unfamiliar. It's like a new toy I've never seen before, except they were attached to me in a way I found curious. I was about to inspect and explore some more of this newness when I heard a rough, loud sound to my side. Alarmed, I tried to stand.

I collapse to the ground, my feet unused to taking my weight. I'm not sure how to balance, either. It's like something is dragging me down, and it is strange and new to me. Something gray, white, and shaggy bursts from around the corner and headed towards me, kicking up sand and making those strange noises. Frightened, though I am sure I've seen it before, I struggle back onto my feet, slipping down to the ground again with each attempt. Finally, I awkwardly drag myself to behind a rock. The creature bounds up to me, opens its mouth, and a very wet tongue brushes my cheek.

My fear falls away and I giggle as I find this adorable creature is no threat. Its long fur covers its eyes, slipping on either side of a large black nose. Its tongue lolled out, and there is this huffing as it panted. Apparently delighted, it let out another one of its loud noise and licks me again, placing its weight on my thighs.

"Max!" a voice calls. "Max, come back here you – oh!"

I look up, my fear returning though it is rather difficult with a very friendly, very furry creature licking my face.

It is a dark, handsome face that peers down at me, the hands that belong to it dragging the creature back. I stare, pressing against the rock. It is so familiar, yet I couldn't grasp it.

"Sorry," the tall creature says. "Max here is a goof, but he won't hurt you – his bark is worse than his bite."

It smiles at me, and I feel a heat rush up to my face. It looks like me, with legs and everything! It reaches down with one hand as if to touch me, and I flinch back.

"It's ok, I won't hurt you. How'd you get here, anyway?" it says, with its hand still out to me. I stare at it, confused. "Come on, it's alright."

As I listened to its warm voice, I couldn't remember who he was, and I could remember what he was and what to do. The fuzziness is so frustrating. I place my hand in his, and couldn't help but notice its strength and warmth. It is also then that I realize how cold my skin is compared to his.

He studies me with deep blue eyes, and I feel the same heat rushing back to my face. "You look familiar," he says, with a bit of hope.

"Have we met?"

As I try to figure out how to talk and move my mouth, I nod swiftly. I could tell, he is so familiar, I am so sure we've met.

"What's your name?" he asks.

I open my mouth, then close it as a look of confusion passes over my face. "Uhngi…" I clear my throat automatically and repeat, "I … I don't…"

"You don't know? You have amnesia?" he says, concern as well as disappointment falling over his face.

I stare blankly at him. "Am…ame-wha?"

"You can't remember anything?" he pressed. "Where you are from? Were you shipwrecked? Why are you wearing a sail?"

"Uh…" By the look on his face, I feel sad and nervous that something was wrong with me. I hang my head. "No," I say quietly.

He studies me again and offers his arm. "Gee, you must have really been through something. Come, I'll take you to my home. Carlotta and Grimsby will be able to help you." As I hesitate once more, he smiles, showing his dimples. "Don't worry. We won't hurt you."

* * *

"Oh, you poor dear," Carlotta, a plump woman with a kind face fusses over me. "Shipwrecked and amnesia at your age! And a couple of days after the ship Eric was on sank too..."

"Eric?" I repeat, looking at her in slight confusion. She sighs in exasperation. "The boy hasn't even told you his name yet? No manners at this age, none at all!"

"Eric," I say again. I like it.

"You're both lucky to be alive. Honestly, there should hardly be any more shipwrecks nowadays anyway! I swear, people are overestimating today's boats..."

She leads me over to what she calls a "tub" filled with these round things called bubbles and - water!

I dip my hand into it right away, though I pull back in exclamation when I find it is mighty hot.

"Well, we certainly have a crisis," Carlotta says as she helps me out of the sail and into the water. I am already captivated by the floating bubbles, scooping them into my hands and blowing them into the air before popping them. "Don't even remember your name. I doubt Grimsby will let you stay here, child, you'll have to head over to the foster care."

I look over towards her. "Foster care?"

"Where kids that need a family go, hun." There is a sympathetic sadness wreathed about her face.

The more I try to remember my family, the more I come up blank and disappointed.

"Don't worry, dear," Carlotta says warmly. "You'll be fine there. Perhaps your family has survived and will turn up. Now, let's see, you have such beautiful red hair... I've never seen such a bright color. Oh, there is a piece chopped off on this side..."

As I finish the bath and is dried off and supplied with the names of different things around the room and what they do, Carlotta fishes out what she calls a "dress." First, with a "comb", she parts my hair differently, on the left side so that I have floppy bangs that I like. I enjoy talking with her, and am not too keen on heading over to this "orphanage".

Lunch is another place I had many questions of. A bit of an ordeal, as I used a supposed "fork" to rake through my hair due to another returned memory only to receive odd looks. Eric and a thin, tall man I sort of recognize are there are well. Eric is more amused than the stern Grimsby by my flood of questions.

After the meal, I not-so-officially went on an expedition to discover all the names and purposes of the items all over the "house". Eric had offered to show me everything, thought I am pretty sure he had a different definition of "everything" as I dragged him up and down the stairs, through the rooms and pointing at several different objects.

"What's this?"

"What's this?"

I've got to know! My curiosity surges through me in a flurry of questions as I jump from thing to thing and ask about the different sounds.

"What's this? What's this?"

I suddenly feel a want, a desire. Not only couldn't I get enough answers and new things to gaze at, but I wanted to hold these things, to keep them, to take them away and -

I stop abruptly.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I turn to see Eric's concerned eyes, and look away. I shake my head and shrug. That flash of odd... emotion? is new and strange and unfamiliar, as nearly everything is. I feel more lost, and afraid that I wouldn't be able to learn everything people like Eric grew up with. The things I did know, that I remember just faintly, are all about the sea.

When I told Eric about it, his smile had widened as he said, "I love the sea. I suppose it won't be only you learning new things before school."

School - another different topic. A place where minors learn new things five days a week. When I thought of week, I was thrown into another bout of deep thinking, from which I was snapped out of by Eric snapping his fingers in front of my face.

"Come on," Eric says, and I return to the present. "Grimsby had an idea of how to remember your name."

He leads me to a wooden rectangle that looks an awful lot like the table ("What's this?"  
"It's a desk. I do my homework and stuff here."  
"Homework?"  
"Yeah, work you do at home from school.")

He gives me a ("What's this?" "Um, a pen. You write by making markings like this,") pen, which I turn over in my hands until Eric pried it from my fingers and placed it against a white rectangle ("What's this?" "Paper. You write on it.").

"Grimsby had the idea if you try writing your name, since I'm pretty sure you've written it down a lot up until now, you'll be able to remember it more quickly. It's like taking notes, something about muscle to mind memory thing," Eric says to me, helping me form a proper grip on the pen, which comes easier to me than I had suspected. "Go on."

I feel slightly nervous. What if I did it wrong? What if it didn't work. I give him another unsure look, to which he nodded encouragingly.

It was only after lots of random scribbling and a few guesses form Eric to jog my memory (Rachel? Mildred? Really?) that I received another memory. Well, more of a brief, sketchy thought, but I was holding something different than a pen. Something glowing. I had turned my head around as if I couldn't believe I was about to do it, and wrote - what? Before it could slip through my grasp, I clutched the pen and closed my eyes, letting my hand guide itself across the paper, scrawling something I've forgotten.

"It worked!" I cry joyously, gazing down at the sloppy yet readable signature in front of me.

Eric looks over my shoulder at it. "Ariel?"

Hearing it fills me with joy, some piece clicking back into place, and I know at once that's it. I nod furiously, grinning at Eric.

"Ok, Ariel," he says, smiling at me. "That's kinda pretty."

The heat rushes back to my face (which I learned was a blush).

Then I notice a rectangle, thick object at the edge of the desk, of which I picked up and held it up towards Eric.

"What's this?"

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter will definitely pick up, especially because the other Disney characters come in! By the way, the title of this chapter was inspired by the song "What's this?" from Nightmare Before Christmas. Heh, I guess I'll make all the chapter titles related to a Disney song. Anyway, stay tuned! **


	3. Chapter 3: New Groove

**NOTE: Due to my lack of knowledge of foster care, if there is a fact that is contradicted, it is for the sake of this fanfic I will not change it. I will hopefully be updating about every weekend due to school and my other writing projects.  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything Disney you may see.**

* * *

**Chapter Three: New Groove  
**

I stand to the side, silent and slightly afraid. My eyes stare, from the cold hard wall to the tiny table with a funny object sitting on top. I shiver a little. Ms. Efficent, tall and dark-eyed, stands behind a desk (or is it a table?) and listens to Carlotta, her haughty, calm expression never changing. I shuffle my feet and look around, longing to run over and study the whatchamacallet had Ms. Efficent not told me to not touch anything. Now, in this big unfamiliar world, instead of feeling curious, excited, and adventurous, I feel awkward, and oddly alone.

Time stretches on, and my legs are feeling sore by the time Ms. Efficent calls me over. She narrows her eyes at me. My stomach clenches, and I feel even more awkward and unsure as she looks me over. "Now, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather are too busy, so Megara here will be showing you around. Your room is E13, and you will be sharing it with Belle Invenire_. _I would like to go over the rules with you in detail, but I have something else that requires my attention. In a nutshell, no running, no shouting, no fighting, no playing, no obnoxious laughing, munching, talking, coughing, sneezing, burping, or any other disgusting sound, no leaving the vicinity unless given permission, no stealing, no lying, no disobeying, no talk-backs, no madness, no going into other rooms save your own, no funny business, no whining, no imploring, nor excess happiness allowed. The rest of the rules are up here -" Ms. Efficent taps the long list of rules on the wall with her long stick, "and any violation of any rule is punished by lectures, physical punishment, grounding, loss of privileges -"

"I think she has a pretty good idea, Miss," a girl who stands by her side says drily. Her voice is low and drawling, but sharp. I hadn't heard someone with a voice like that before, and it made me slightly timid. She is a little older than me, tall and thin, and clutching something I don't recognize. Her long, wavy brown hair is up in a high ponytail, and she is wearing a purple top and long dark leg covers Eric calls "jeans".

Ms. Efficent casts a dark look towards her. "No interrupting, young lady," she says sharply.

"Yes, ma'am," the girl says quickly.

Ms. Efficent kept her dark gaze on the girl for a bit longer, yet the brunette hardly seems to notice it. "Very well. You are dismissed." She went back to her seat, pulling out bundles of papers and shuffling them around. I look around fervently for Carlotta, just to see a familiar face for comfort before entering this other place, but she had already left.

There is a moment of awkward silence save the shuffling sound of papers and a tappity noise coming from the desk. I look nervously over towards the lanky girl, whose thin eyebrows arch over violet eyes. Her face is full of angles and attitude.

Finally the other girl says, "Well, hello and welcome to the Walt Disney Ward. The name's Megara, friends call me Meg - that is, they would if I had any friends. So... do you have a name along with that incredibly red hair?"

My hands are tugging at the said hair as I stammer, "Y-yes, thanks, I mean, it's Ariel."

Meg raises an eyebrow as she turns and says, "Well, you better keep up."

"Erm, by the way, what is that you're holding?" I ask.

Meg stiffens, clutching the thing more tightly. "None of your business," she snaps. "Now come on." As I hurry after the other girl, I hope the other girls weren't as unfriendly as her. "Now, down this hall are the A rooms, for the younger kids, which we get a lot. Watch out for Peter and his gang of tricksters; it's near impossible to get them under control. Down here are the B rooms, again, for the younger kids in elementary and junior high."

"Huh?" I say, confused. "Element- what?"

Meg turns her head to look at me oddly. "School. You know, elementary, junior high, and high school." I didn't really know, but I didn't want to look like an idiot, so I keep quiet as Meg continued.

"Here is where we all eat- people our age usually sit over at this end, though there isn't really any official rules. Over this way are the C rooms, that the D rooms, as you can tell by the signs. Now, the E rooms are for high school teens like us, who haven't been picked up from foster care since they were little or got orphaned just before they graduate. It's crazy, but we've got a handful of them too. You'll probably see lots more boys than girls, unfortunately." She made a disgusted sound at the word "boys". I look at her curiously, but let her continue. "As for the guys, the ones you'll have to watch out for are Adam, Aladdin, Eugene, this really annoying guy called Kuzco, and Jack - especially Jack. The rest are ok compared to them." Meg takes a deep breath and looks over at me. "Got all that?"  
I slowly nod. Meg smirks and says, "It takes a few days to get used to this whole shebang. But don't worry, you will. Anyway, here's your room." I look up at the looming door, and the gleaming letters **E13**. Meg knocks on the polished wood twice, calling lazily, "Belle, your new roommate is here!" She pauses, looking expectantly at the door. At first I wonder if it's going to open on its own or open hidden eyes. Meg grumbles under her breath and pounds on the door. "Belle! Get your nose out of that book and open this door!" she shouts loudly.

There is a muffled noise behind the door, a small voice calling, "Just a moment!" and a few other noises before the door opens.

Another girl pokes her head out, her large brown eyes staring at me and Meg. A stray pieces of brown hair twirls down into her face, which splits into a grin. "Hi!"

"Belle, this is Ariel, Ariel, this is Belle. You two are roommates now," Meg says in a bored tone. Belle opens the door a bit wider, smiling at me.

I turn towards Meg, a small smile of my own coming into my face. "Thanks," I say.

"Whatever. Nice to meet you, Ari, it's been a real slice." With that, Meg sashays away with one hand on her hip.

I turn back to Belle, who had opened the door wide. "Come in, I don't bite," Belle says cheerfully. More assured, I step into her - and my new - room. The main thing I notice is the abundance of books.

"Sorry I didn't hear outside - I've been reading the most wonderful story," Belle tells me as she hurries over to a bed, messy and covered with overlapping books. The other side of the room is neater, with an untouched bed and a few simple things. I look around curiously as Belle continues, "It's about a beanstalk and an ogre and a -"

"That's neat," I say, finding my voice at last. "But... what's a be - bean -"

"Beanstalk? Oh, in the story it's a large stalk that grows from magic beans." There is a light in Belle's eye, and the enthusiasm in her voice reminds me of myself. "Do you like to read?"

"Well... I know how to," I say, shrugging. "I can't seem to remember much. I didn't even remember my name before I came here."

"Amnesia?" Belle says with a sympathetic tone. "Don't worry, your memory will come back on its own. I've read that usually with memories, there are things that trigger one, which leads to another, and so on." The more we talk, the more I relax.

"I couldn't put it down," she says as she picks up a book up from the bed. "I'm almost finished! I might be able to read it all before supper, Ms. Efficent doesn't allow books at the table." Belle scoops up another book and hands it to me. "Here, you might like this one. I sure did; it's one of my favorites."

The book is on the thick side, with a hard, rough cover and fancy lettering that read The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

* * *

"Dang it!" I look up at Belle's exclamation. She is staring at a round thing mounted on the wall with odd little markings around a small dot in the middle. "It's time - if we don't leave now we might be forced to miss it!"

"What?"

"Dinner!"

With that, Belle leaps from her bed in a creak of springs and grabs my arm, heaving me up to my feet. "Come on!" she says as she carefully set her barely finished book back onto her bed. I'm forced to drop mine as Belle ushers me out the door.

"Wait, miss dinner?"

"It's served at 5:30, and we have to be promptly sitting at the table. Can't be late!" is all Belle tells me as we fly down the hall. In our haste, we crash into someone else as we turn the corner.

"Watch it!" That someone yells as pretty much all of us tumble to the ground. I'm sad to say that this isn't my first time meeting the floor with my face.

"Sorry Adam," I hear Belle gasp above me as I struggle to stand back up. I feel Belle's hand on my wrist, and she tugs me back to my feet. The boy in front of us only grumbles, glowering at me with hostility and suspicion. He has long orange hair that's tied back in a loose ponytail and blue eyes that stares darkly down at me, making me feel small.

"Whatever," he growls. "Watch where you're going next time." It seems as if his words are more directed towards me, which didn't make me feel better.

Belle nods; there is an odd pink flush across her cheeks. "Got it. C'mon, we've got to head over to the tables."

Adam only silently shrugs, and Belle nods to me. I follow behind her, still unsure of where everything is and nervous about the boy huffily following behind me.

Belle quickens her step as we burst into the dining hall, where many other children are already sitting. Some turn their heads curiously at the sound of our footsteps, though most are engaged in conversation and doesn't even spare us a glance.

I recognize Meg at first glance over at one end of the table. I am slightly relieved I have Belle leading me to a place to sit, for there are so many unfamiliar and different faces I'm not sure are glad to see a new person.

Belle sits at the very end, letting out a _whew_ of relief, while I sit next to her. Adam goes off on his own way, something I am personally glad of. Meg looks bored as she twirls a piece of hair around her finger. A raven-haired girl sits next to her beside a blue-eyed boy, the two debating furiously in quiet, harsh tones.

"Hiya!" a cheerful voice says. I turn my head to see a blue-eyed girl about my age with long hair the similar to the shade of orange of Adam's. "You're new here, aren't you? Haven't seen you around - my name's Giselle," she says happily, her voice sweet and swift.

"Hi," I say, smiling back. "Mine's Ariel."

Giselle scoots closer towards me as if so she could talk to me without speaking loudly for me to hear.

"Where'd you come from? Do you like pets? What's your favorite color? What kind of trees do you like?" she threw a line of questions, her face alit with delight. I hardly get the chance to answer when my attention is dragged away by two boys laughing and thumping each other on the back sitting across from me and Giselle next to Meg, who merely rolls her eyes and shifts herself a little away.

"What'd you two do this time?" Belle asks, eyeing them warily.

"Nicked ol' Merryweather's timetables," snickers the younger boy with brown hair and the faint starting of stubble, producing the said timetables.

"She's going to freak out!" the black-haired boy says with a grin.

"That's not nice, you two," says the raven-haired girl from the other side of Meg, leaning over to see them. "Merryweather might be crabby, but that is not a good trick to pull on her."

The brown-haired boy gasps in mock pain and places a hand over his heart. "Not a good trick?"

"You're ruining it, Esmeralda!" the black-haired boy exclaims.

Meg scowls over towards the black-haired boy. "You're a horrible influence on Eugene, Aladdin."

"Why, thank you," Aladdin says.

"It's Flynn, not Eugene," the brown-haired boy says, frowning at Meg. "I made a fresh start this year."

Meg snorts. "Fascinating, I can really see the change."

"At least I haven't been stuck in garbage cans this year!" Flynn exclaims. Meg responds with another roll of her eyes.

_Garbage cans?_ I wonder while Giselle giggles at the boys' antics and Belle looks over towards where we had came, perhaps longing for a book. Before I could ask anything, however, there is the sound of someone kicking open a door down the hall and slapping the ground. I turn towards the noise just in time to see someone jump into the dining hall.

"Bada bada BOOM BABY!"


	4. Chapter 4: A Whole New World

**First of all, thanks to GamerPrincess42 for the wonderful review! The story will hopefully be moving along more better - I've be throwing in as many Disney-related movies as possible throughout the story. I'm so glad you think it's like a Disney movie, though it might get a little angsty once Ariel discovers the harsher realities of the human world. Don't worry, I'll be giving villains their fair share of love.  
Thanks to all that followed and favorited! Please, do leave reviews as I'm writing; the feedback will be much appreciated.  
**

**Note: Now that this story is up and rolling, the chapters will be longer now, and each one will count as a day. Some characters would have already found their happy ending, in the process of finding it, or still at the beginning. I hope to incorporate as many little scenes from the movies and intertwine 'em into the story. Now, there will be absolutely no swearing in this; cannot tolerate the words at all. I know it is high school and modern teenagers and all, but still. There are still a few implied things that make this one a rated T. All the movies will be the ones I've watched, so that I'll be able to portray them as them.**

**All original pairings, though there will be crossover dates, they will end up like they did in the movies.  
**

**Everyone who is in foster care is because of no mention of actual parents/guardians in the movies, was brought to civilization, or because it is important to the plot.  
**

**I'll be changing the spacing so that it's easier to read. ;)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Disney or anything familiar from the movies.**

* * *

**Chapter Four: A Whole New World  
**

I open one eye at the warmth spilling across my face, squinting into the ray of light. Like a twinkling star, it is so bright, and peeks on through the shifted curtains. I blink, and slowly sit up, my head spinning. The shaft of golden light lies across my pillow, and as I touch it, it slid to the top of my fingers and hands. A wild grin slowly creeps across my face, and I play with the sunbeam, over and over again in silent, simple joy. And, almost, just barely, I forget my wild whirlpool of a dream that left me sweating and gasping in my sleep as my befuddled brain grasped at the memories sleeping in my subconsciouness, but only left me more empty than ever before.

I hear a creak of springs to my right, and I look over to see a very sleepy Belle, her brown hair mussed and tumbling down past her shoulders. She yawns and rakes her fingers through her hair to pull it back from her face, and pulls the covers back to slide out of bed. Remembering the night before, I felt a surge of gratitude for her patience and understand the night before, where I had been in complete confusion of girl clothing and the entire bed, with all its sheets and pillows, concept. She even managed to explain the matter of measuring time with a clock, of which she had on the desk between our beds.

As she stumbles away towards the bathroom, I snatch up the schedule on the said desk and read over it again. I make a mental note to ask what "outside time" meant, and slip out of bed. The tangles in my long red hair are new, and how the stands hover close to my skull, face, and neck is somewhat off to me, but I try to shrug it off in order to adapt more quickly to it.

After breakfast Belle and I quickly meet up with Giselle and Esmeralda, whom of which are next door. As we all quickly fall into conversation (Giselle, Esmeralda, and I, that is - Belle is reading) we hear a great thud right before Aladdin comes careening around the corner. He is stumbling and quickly looks over his shoulder before sliding up to us, a sheepish grin on his face.

"Good morning, ladies," he says while a loud bellow could be heard from around the corner. Belle finally looks up and looks past Aladdin with a knowing look on her face.

Esmeralda looks like she is having a difficult time not smirking. "Getting into trouble a little early today, aren't we, Aladdin?"

"Trouble?" Aladdin says. "No way. You're only in trouble if you get caught -"

"Gotcha!"

"I'm in trouble," Aladdin gulps as he comes face to face with a very angry Adam. While Belle quickly steps forward to intervene, Giselle begins to drag me away suddenly very excited.

"It's almost time until we get to out," she tells me, her blue eyes twinkling.

"Get out?" I repeat, a small flare of my own excitement coming up.

"Yeah! They call it 'outside time'. The three fairies convinced Ms. Efficent to let us get some fresh air daily."

The 'three fairies' is the nickname when talking about Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather, the suspected sisters that helped balance out Ms. Efficent's cold exterior and harsher ways at the Walt Disney Ward. I had met the prim Flora, the gentle Fauna and the crabby Merryweather, and had taken an instant liking to the three. The sound of fresh air appeals to me, and I trot happily after Giselle as she leads me out towards the back. Esmeralda trails after us, slightly amused by her roommate's enthusiasm.

When we finally get out, Giselle allows herself the opportunity to lead me around the wide, grassy yard lined with frightening looking black walls of wire and point out the other inhabitants of the Ward. She is very friendly, though a less-than-a good secret-keeper, and I manage to learn of the others' names and odd little tidbits Giselle had discovered.

"You see the short blonde girl? That's Tinker Bell - watch out for her, the only temper that has rivaled hers is Adam's. She's deemed herself like an older sister of Peter - I doubt any girls will be allowed to approach him when he gets into that age. Mowgli's sweet, a little strange after living in the jungle though - and there's Tarzan, again from the jungle, a quiet and rough around the edges, but he's just as curious as you. Sally there, I've talked with her once, and she's really nice, a bit quiet though. She's got a crush on the Pumpkin King - that's Jack over there, scariest kid come Halloween with a whole lot of disturbing pranks up his sleeve. Taran's a bit slow, but a dreamer - and Kuzco... still thinks he's the emperor." I smile, recognizing the red-and-gold-clad boy and remembering his entrance at dinner the night before. Giselle is talking rapidly now.

"I overheard Flora talking to Merryweather - we might be getting a new arrival by the name of Lilo. Cobra Bubbles is going to give them a visit.

"Esmeralda is nearly eighteen, and is nearly ready to be allowed to go," she says, "though we've heard that her older cousin is planning to get her out sooner. Belle's almost ready to go, too. I'll really miss them - I don't think they'll be able to visit us afterward. Maybe we'll be get to be roommates!" I suddenly feel a twinge of discomfort in my stomach, as if I were keeping some secret. Giselle seems more and more distracted, as if she is trying to overlay the entire Ward population in front of me before she had to go.

"Oh, hello Eu- Flynn," I say as the boy back up quickly towards us.

He turns, grins and raises his eyebrow in his amusing, "charming" way. "Hey," he says.

"Oh! See you later, Ariel!" Giselle abruptly squeals and dashes off.

Flynn looks slightly affronted, as if she had rushed off to avoid him, though I believe it has something to do with something else altogether.

"Eh, anyway, Ariel, do you want to see the world outside of the Ward?" Flynn says, turning towards me.

"Outside? I thought we are outside."

Flynn laughs, and says, "No, no, outside the barbed wire. Aladdin, me and a lot of the other boys found this secret exit not too long ago, you've got to check it out, as the new girl. We've been spreading the word - we're taking turns to explore the outside. There is a bigger world outside of here, and we don't get to see it unless we're on the bus to school."

I look up. "Bigger world?" I feel a familiar feeling blossom within me.

"If you're not a stickler for the rules, if we sneak out now, we can get a quick look around and get back before outside time is over." Flynn grins. "What do you say?"

A flash of a memory swims through my head. I reach to grab it, but it is quickly chased away by my mental attempt. All I can get from it is thrill of adventure. "That sounds exciting," I say.

* * *

"Now, be sure to follow me closely, and I'll show you first all the stops here. This neighborhood is filled with fancy houses, caminos, and really expensive stores and restaurants. Someone as poor as us would usually never be seen stepping into this place," says Flynn as he leads me along the sidewalk. I keep looking up, fascinated, at the tall white walls and the fancy structures that made me stare and try to look at every piece. There is artwork, plants, grassy front yards, pebble-filled yards and a stonework sidewalk, and many different houses standing tall and proud.

"Nearly all the houses are custom made, so it's cool just to walk through here and look at all the different styles people think up of," Flynn remarks. "They're almost like palaces from all over the world!"

I want to run over and inspect the rows of roses at once place, the pool of water and lily pads at another, and a well at the side of another. Flynn kept me walking, though, in order to see everything before we had to go back. Some cars pass by, but seem to completely ignore us. Apparently, according to Flynn, we weren't seen as anything by the more wealthy, and weren't to be given a sideways glance. That put me off for a few moments, but there was too much to see to dwell upon such thoughts.

While we are heading back after Flynn checks a device on his wrist called a watch, Flynn abruptly stops and stiffens. I nearly crash into him, and look over his shoulder to see what he is staring at.

Two older boys, twins by the look of them, are walking towards us, their eyes narrowed and angry.

I tap Flynn on the shoulder and say quietly, "Who's that?"

"They don't like me," Flynn says. He looks quickly around and freezes at the sight of a few motorcycles riding down the road.

I follow his gaze. "Who's that?"

"They don't like me either."

We both jump at the loud sound of barking as we pass another fancy house, a paw scraping at the glass behind the window. "Who is _that_?"

"Let's pretend at the moment that everyone here _doesn't like me__!"_

I nod quickly, looking at both our new pursuers when Flynn grabs my arm, and we both break into a run. I am given a brief memory of being chased with a friend by my side, water rushing through my hair as we zip through. Flynn and I dash through an alleyway, me stumbling on my inexperienced legs, and I sharply turn to the right, entering a different street, but even more fancy houses. I keep running, though, until I finally slow and press against the wall panting hard, a horrible stitch at my side that made me want to curl up and whimper. My throat is dry, and my legs are trembling. My feet hurt, they burn as I stand heavily, my legs wobbly like a jelly dessert. I look up and gasp, "Can we stop running, Flynn?"

No response. I look behind me. "Flynn?"

The boy wasn't behind me. Nor was he anywhere around. I gulp and look around more frantically. I don't see him, and I feel desperation clawing at my ribs. "Where am I?" I whisper as I look around once more. My fear drains away as I stand up, looking around and marveling at the beauty of the buildings. Never had I seen such magnificence that differed, yet held the same dignity and sense of power. As I walk, I hear the sound of someone singing behind me.

_"Once upon a dream..."_

I jump, spinning around. It is an older boy with brown hair and pointed features wearing a hat, and he grins at me.

"Why, hello. I didn't mean to frighten you."

I feel a jump of annoyance, and say, "It's not that, it's just ... you're..."

"A stranger?"

Since it is technically true and I'm not sure of what else to say, I merely nod.

"Phillip!" A female voice rings out, and a tall girl with long golden curls turns the corner. She has pointed features as well, and as she draws closer I notice that her deep blue eyes, ringed with violet, matched her blouse of intricate designs. "We've been wondering where you've gone. Oh, and who's this?"

Phillip looks back towards me and shrugs. "Just met her."

I feel slightly self-conscious, remembering what Flynn said about wealthy people. "My name is -"

"Ariel?"

Some more the same age as Phillip and the golden-haired girl came around the corner, and (with my heart picking up speed) Eric is among them.

I wonder if being wealthy had anything to do with becoming beautiful. A girl, a bit shorter than the rest, has an ivory complexion, with blood-red lips like rosebuds and a bob of hair the color of ebony held back with a headbank as red as her lips. Her eyes, dark brown to nearly a black, would have scared me had they not been filled wtih light and innocence. The girl behind her, with large, almond-shaped dark eyes, smooth brown skin and incredibly long raven hair tied with multiple scrunchies has features more mature and elegant. Oddly enough, they both wore clothing no more special than my own, and yet while appearing out of place from the group of the well-dressed, are just as beautiful. The fair-skinned girl wore an outfit of browns and whites, while the raven-haired girl had on baggy blue pants and a dark shirt that seemed a little too large, as if trying to hide her figure. Two other boys seems more nondescript, but more the general handsomeness, one with brown hair and the other with black. Another boy held an instrument I did not know the name of.

"I thought you were sent to the Ward," Eric says as they caught up.

Heat rushes up to my face. "I sort of... snuck out," I admit, my gaze lowering to the ground.

I'm not sure what reaction I had been expecting from the group, but the raven-haired girl says, "Really? So did I."

I look back up, slightly surprised.

"Well, not from the Ward, of course, but from home," she quickly clarified, and gives me a small smile. "I wanted to get out without my father looking over my shoulder all the time. I don't usually get out anyway." She steps out from the small circle and and outstretches her hand. "I'm Jasmine."

"My name is Snow," says the fair-skinned one in a high-pitched but sweet voice. "This is Ferdinand," she gestures to the brown-haired boy, "and this is Charlie."

"How are you?" Charlie says promptly.

"I am Naveen," says the boy with the instrument, giving me a grin that reminds me of Flynn, "of Maldonia!" He gives the instrument a few strums.

"My name is Aurora," the golden-haired girl says with a smile. "This is Phillip, and you seem to already know Eric."

"Are you lost?" Snow asks.

Their friendliness erases all the prickly feelings that had been itching my insides. "Yeah," I say sheepishly.

"I don't blame you trying to escape from the Ward," Aurora says with a roll of her eyes. Before I could protest that I wasn't escaping, she went on, "Though it is sort of hard to figure out what to do afterward. How is Ms. Efficent doing?"

"Hard to say with her," I say.

"What about Flora? And Fauna? And dear Merryweather?" Aurora inquires with a sort of gleam in her eye.

"You know them?"

Aurora nods. "There was a celebration a long time ago, and Ms. Efficent got mad that she didn't get invited. There was this big blow-out that I can't remember, and Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather had to take me away somewhere so that it would calm down without me in the way. It was after that my parents joined with Phillip's parents and decided to build the Walt Disney Ward. Of course, to avoid Ms. Efficent's wrath they let her head it. It is alright over there, hopefully?"

"I guess. Lots of rules, though."

"Would you like us to take you back there?" Aurora says kindly. "You don't want to know what can happen if we let you go on alone."

"You'd do that?" Again, I feel a rush of gratitude. "Thanks."

"Yeah. Trust me, the Ward is a better place than the streets," Aurora says.

As the group begins to walk, with Naveen strumming and conversations renewing, Eric falls in step next to me. "You doing all right?"

"Yeah," I say quietly. "What about you?"

"I'm okay. We were all heading over to a friend of ours for a day of celebration before we all head back to school tomorrow," Eric says.

I feel a jump of nervousness. "School's... tomorrow, huh?"

"Yep. End of spring break. It's not too bad, though. Just avoid the teachers' bad sides and work hard, you'll be fine," Eric says with a smile. I grin back.

Everyone's attention is averted when we hear a loud yell in the street. Looking over, I see a car backing up next to a man who had apparently fallen to the ground.

As we rush over, partly in curiosity and partly because the others seem to recognize the man, I hear him say, "But I can prove Atlantis exists!"

He is thin with light brown hair peeking out from underneath his hat, and round glasses perch on his long nose. He holds a piece of paper, with a few books and folders fallen behind him, and is getting snapped at from the man leaning out of the car window.

"You want an expedition? Fine -" he tosses a gleaming coin towards the brown-haired man. "Take a bus to the ocean and jump in! Maybe the cold water will clear your head! Heinz!"

The car zooms away, leaving the man coughing in the black cloud that tumbled from the back of the car. He stands back up miserably.

Eric is the first to reach him. "Are you alright, Mr. Thatch?" he asks as he scoops up a folder.

"Oh, hello, Eric, and everyone," Mr. Thatch says dejectedly as I and the others pitch in picking up his books. He plucks a fallen picture from the ground and accepts the pile of papers we hand over.

"The museum rejected your proposal again?" asks Eric, brushing off some small pebbles of gravel off a book and handing it to him.

"Yeah," Mr. Thatch sighs. He looks over the teenagers, and says, "Going somewhere before school resumes?"

"We're heading over to Charlotte's," Naveen says.

"First we're taking Ariel here back to the Walt Disney Ward," Aurora says. She turns towards me. "Ariel, this is Mr. Thatch. He teaches the juniors History back at Disney High, as well as Latin and all the other dead languages. If you're a junior, you'll probably have him. Mr. Thatch, this is Ariel."

"Pleasure," Mr. Thatch says, shifting his books around in his arms to offer a hand for me to shake.

"Nice to meet you," I say, taking it.

Mr. Thatch smiles and gathers his books up. "I might be seeing you at school, then. I have to go... prepare some more, you know, assignments, and, such," he mumbles as he hurries away.

"He's been trying to get funding for an expedition to find Atlantis forever," Ferdinand says, shaking his head. "He's almost obsessed."

Jasmine frowns at him. "Not really."

I look up towards the bold white building. "Atlantis?"

"The lost empire," Eric says. "Legend says it vanished eons ago under the ocean. Stories all over the world persist that even hundreds of years ago they had advanced medicine, technology, and even the power of flight. They say that Atlantis had some power source that's stronger than coal, or fossil fuel."

"Load of -" Charlie begins to grumble, but Snow cut him off with a light whack on his arm and a warning glare.

"Give it some slack, Charles," Eric says, giving his friend a friendly punch. "It does sound pretty awesome."

Charlie didn't look convinced, but he let it slide.

I walk a bit to the side while they talk with each other, apparently knowing each other for a long time. i feel slightly out of place, and a longing to _know_ someone - really know one, just one person- in this place.

I am in these thoughts when I hear a voice to the side. "How did you end up in the Ward?" I look up to see Jasmine, who quickly adds, "You don't have to answer, I -"

"It's alright, I had woken up on the beach with no memory," I say.

"No memory? None at all?"

"Well... some. It's coming back," I say.

"That's good," Jasmine says, and smiles. I smile back. As we pass a majestic golden-topped mansion, I look up at it in admiration.

"I wonder what it's like to live there. It must be lovely."

Jasmine's face darkens. "Oh, sure. With people who tell you where to go and how to dress."

I look at her. "It must have some good things, like good food, and more things, and more freedom?"

"But you're not free to make your own choices," Jasmine sighs and looks down at her scruffy shoes. "Sometimes, I feel so trapped."

I incline my head towards her. "I know how you feel," I say quietly.

Jasmine throws her hands up in the air. "How can you know what it is like? It's the most choking, horrible feeling in the world, and it gets so that I feel like I'm about to die - I hate it! How can -" she cuts herself off and stares at the ground.

"Everyone is imprisoned by something in their lives; most are oblivious to it until it's too late, and they become trapped with no way out."

Jasmine looks over towards me from the corner of her eye. "I suppose so," she sighs. "Sorry for blowing up at you."

"That's alright," I say. "I think we're more alike than you think."

Jasmine smiles at me.

Much too soon, the dark building of the Ward looms up ahead.

For a moment, I did not want to go back, but then I remember Belle, Giselle, Flynn, Esmeralda, and Meg. I inhale deeply, and turn towards them.

"Thanks a lot for leading me back," I say. "I can take it from here."

"Alright," Jasmine says with a wave.

"Hope to see you again soon, Ariel," Eric says.

"Bye," says Aurora and Snow, and the boys merely raise a hand in farewell.

I smile in spite of my own concocted doom of being found outside, and quickly walk towards the Ward.

* * *

"Explain yourself," Ms. Efficent says darkly, looking down at me. The three fairies hover at the side, looking back from me to Ms. Efficent. I shrink back, slightly intimidated. It's like trying to look a fire-breathing dragon in the face, and stammer why it shouldn't eat me.

"Er, well, you see," I begin, having no idea how to say it, when out of the blue comes a voice.

"Hello, Ms. Efficent, how're you doing today?" Flynn says, smoothly rolling through the front door like I just did a few minutes ago. He looks slightly ruffled, but other than that perfectly fine.

Ms. Efficent turns on him and growls, "You too, Eugene Firzherbert. Explain. You have been missing long after outside time."

"Oh yeah, 'bout that," Flynn says casually, keeping up the act although he couldn't disguise his irritation at Ms. Efficent's use of his old name, "I sort of forced Ariel to go out for a while; we meant to come back before outside time was over, but we got separated, and I lost track of the time. It was pretty much my fault."

Ms. Efficent narrows in on Flynn. "It was her choice to go with you, was it not? How did you get out past the wall in the first place?"

"To the first question, nah, I sort of put pressure on her by calling her chicken; and as for getting out, we just got lucky to escape under your nose."

Part of me could hardly believe his nerve; Ms. Efficent looks close to frying him; and another part is extremely surprised and grateful for him placing all the blame on himself. He never called me chicken, whatever that is.

Ms. Efficent glowers at him, then turns to me, only saying coldly, "You are dismissed. Go to your room."

I let out a breath I didn't realize I had been holding, and turn to leave, though not before I give Flynn a grateful smile. He winks at me.

* * *

"Then I met this crazy girl with super long hair and a frying pan," Flynn says as we round the corner. I had stayed a bit after Ms. Efficent told him his punishment, so that we could head back and share our stories of the outside.

"Blondie never went to school before, and she told me that she's always watched the fireworks - you know those? No? Oh yeah, amnesia - from a distance. There's this yearly celebration where they set off fireworks near the school (it's awesome, we should totally sneak out when it's happening) and she's always wanted to see them up close. It was a brief meeting - she took what I took from those two guys you saw chasing us and demanded I take her to the fireworks when they happen. Real feisty. And anyway, I had to agree to get it back, check it out -" From his satchel he pulls out a book. With silver lines connecting to a diamond shape in the middle, there is a strange symbol smack dab in the center of it all. Oddly enough, it looks familiar. Really familiar. "And look, all this gibberish -" Flynn opens the book, and there are drawings and more of the strange writing. I touch the pages, fascinated. Flynn looks pleased at my reaction and tucks it back into his satchel. "Anyway, what happened to you?"

As I recall the group I met and how they led me back to the Ward, Flynn stares at me in wonder. "You mean," he says after I finish, "that you met the Royals?"

"The who?"

"This group of the richest of seniors at Disney High. I never knew they were so nice."

"Yeah," I say, "can't always tell by the first impression, huh?"

Flynn looks at me closely. "Yeah," he says quietly. "Not by the first impression."

After a moment of silence, I say, "Flynn?"

"Yeah?"

"What's a chicken?"

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I can see Ariel breaking the rules, because she goes exploring, is late for the concert and breaks the rule to going to the surface. So, hope you liked this chapter!**

**By the way, there will be another plot other than Ariel finding love in three weeks in progress. Want to guess?  
**

**By the way, Jasmine's rant about being trapped was inspired by a part in The Chosen by Chaim Potok. The little insight piece was a theme related to The House on Mango Street. Hey, I'm a student too!  
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**Yeah, next chapter = schooltime! More characters will be rolling in!  
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**Please, review! But no bashing nor flames. Please add advice with your criticism, otherwise it may as well be useless to improve my writing. Thank you!  
**


	5. Chapter 5: & All Those Other Guys

**Another chapter up! Thank you all that favorited/followed, because that's probably one of my important motivators. (Reviews help too ;)) By the way, for those who are so strictly keen on accurate details, since I myself have just entered high school, some of the topics on some of the subjects may be less than what is taught at that level, so, please be flexible. Also, upon reading all the other fanfics, I realized that I am coming from a completely different school style, so again, I ask for not-so-mean reviews since this is merely a fanfic for enjoyment and hopefully a little insight on human nature (both the good and the bad, of course!)  
Yeah, I'm still sticking with Disney songs for the titles. (Suggestions? :D) And by this title, I guess you can tell it will be dedicated to the villains, as well as lots and lots of the other Disney characters coming into play.. And, by far, this will be the longest chapter to date. I might even have to split it into two.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Disney characters, Disney scenes, Disney songs, or anything Disney. **

* * *

**Chapter Five: Gaston, Cruella De Vil, and All Those Other Guys**

It is too early. My body sags with weight nearly impossible to drag from my bed to the wardrobe and out the door, all with trying to not wake up Belle. Either she can sleep through a hurricane, or she's just pretending.

Ms. Efficent wants me to get to the school a big earlier - a lot earlier, I think, though I still can't figure out those arms sticking out from the little circle on clocks. Apparently, the school still needs me to head over and get all my stuff - the map, schedule, and ID, plus a packet of things of the school. Ms. Efficent, not wanting me to be late to my "first period class", is sending me over with Flora to do so. I had overheard a heated discussion (well, one side was heated - Ms. Efficent remained cool and calm like a sea rock) about whether or not my amnesia would hamper my education, if I still don't remember the basics. Flora wanted to know why the school didn't want me to take a test first, though because I only came over what - two, three days ago? they didn't have time, and wanted to take me in as soon as school resumed.

There was a crazy test after I got back to the Ward after my adventure yesterday - they wanted me to remember my age as to put me into a "grade". I don't know why they didn't just test me, like Flora wanted to know, but I had a bit of a hard time. I only managed when I remember retorting angrily that I wasn't a child, as I was sixteen years old.

I had already been nervous about going to school - an entirely new and strange prospect to me - and hearing this only heightened my nerves. What if I am at the bottom of the class? I don't want to be classified as stupid. Sure, I've hadn't a hard time memorizing all the little things and objects back at the Ward, though who am I to know when all the new information will overwhelm me? However, I don't want to blab my silly fears to Flora, so I hold my tongue and divert my thoughts over to the group I met yesterday (mostly Eric - Jasmine too, but mostly Eric). I dearly hope I would see them there - Mr. Thatch as well.

To my most greatest relief, when I get there with my bundle of nerves and racing heart, there is a new student like me, her guardian apparently having the same idea as Ms. Efficent.

Flora and I enter, there a long desk in front of two women, one of which typing frantically on a computer. Facing them against the wall is a neat row of chairs, four or five, a petite girl sitting on one looking just as nervous as I. Her small feet are tucked up underneath the chair resting on the bar between the front legs, her purple skirt creased and wrinkled around her legs. Her blonde hair is long - so incredibly long that she had braided it and had it in a pile in her lap, the tuft of hair at the end being nervously tugged and twisted.

"Ah, another new student?" says the plump, kind-faced lady who isn't typing, but sorting out papers. Her graying hair is pulled back into a bun, her chocolate eyes twinkling down at me. The knot in my stomach loosens ever so slightly. "Ariel, I presume?"

I nod quickly.

"You can sit next to Rapunzel, then, dear, and wait until I retrieve your papers. My name is Mrs. Potts, and this here is Mrs. Hawkins, my hard-working collegue. If you have a question concerning the school, come to us and we'll guide you in the right direction - no class work, though, you have your teachers and tutouring halls to go to." Mrs. Potts nods to me and sits down, beginning to type just as fast as Mrs. Hawkins, whose brown hair had fallen in stray pieces from her loose ponytail.

I quietly sit next to the other girl, who looks my way and grins. Her tiny nose is splashed with freckles, and her eyes are a brilliant green. "Hi," she says, her eyes gleaming. "So you're Ariel?"

"Yep," I reply. "And you're Rapunzel?"

Rapunzel grins again and fingers her braid. "Is this your first time at school too?"

"Very first time. I've never been to a school before."

"Neither have I - been home-schooled all my life. My mother ... means well but is very protective of me. Before I turned thirteen I wasn't even allowed outside the house."

I feel my mouth drop. "Not even outside? Didn't you get bored cooped up in there?"

"Nah, I had lots of things to do. Dolls, chores, books, painting - I love painting," Rapunzel says. "But there is so much more things outside to learn and everything!"

I grin. "I feel the same way! I've been stuck somewhere all my life, never getting a chance to see what was up here, and now I'm seeing all sorts of new things, even though my memory's gone."

Rapunzel claps a hand over her mouth. "Your memory?"

"Yeah, I can't remember much of anything in my past," I say, hurrying on to say "but it's all coming back real fast" as I see the part horror part pity growing in Rapunzel's eyes. She relaxes.

"That's good. My mom usually comes along everytime I want to go outside, but I always see others go out alone..." Rapunzel shrugs. "And the fireworks." Her eyes turn to sparkling again. "I've been seeing fireworks outside my window every year. This year, I'm sure I'll be allowed to go!"

"The fireworks?" I recall Flynn's desciption of his adventure. About a long-haired girl and the fireworks... However, I didn't want to barge in on her business, so instead I ask, "What persuaded your mom to let you come to school?"

"Oh," Rapunzel begins casually, "she's gotten really busy with work to find time to teach me regularly - she has a job in the beauty and make-up industry - and it was actually yesterday's events that got me to ask her."

I nearly ask how old she is when the door is abuptly opened.

"Mrs. Hawkins?" A man in a stiff, blue uniform says, another one dressed exactly like him on the other side of a boy.

His height seems diminished by the tall, straight officers standing on either side of him. He has brown hair parted down the middle, the bangs flopping against either side of his face and a small rattail at the back. There is a dark shadow over his eyes, his blue eyes that reflected the sky, and a crease under one of them. He wore a black jacket, a floppy orange belt, and a tiny gold hoop in his earlobe.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be right -" Mrs. Hawkins begins to say as she heaves up a crate of folders and papers. At the sight of the boy between the officers, she drops the crate onto her desk with a loud bang. _"Jim!"_

"Okay, thanks for the lift, guys," the boy says in a casual tone, shifting the first man's hand off his shoulder, only to have the second one's hand grab him back.

"Not so fast!"

To Mrs. Hawkins, he says, "We apprehended your son operating a motor vehicle in a restricted area."

"Moving violation nine-zero-four, section fifteen, paragraph - uh..."

"Six?" mumbles Jim, rubbing his cheek.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

"Jim!"Mrs. Hawkins hisses quietly in a scolding tone.

The boy looks down slightly as the officer continues, "As you are aware, ma'am, that this constitutes a violation of his probation."

"Yes, yes. No, I understand," Mrs. Hawkins says quickly, "but um, could we just ..."

"We will be seeing higher administration of this school to discuss proper punishment."

Mrs. Hawkins looks ready to argue, but sighs and says, "Down the hall, turn right, second door to your left."

The officers moves in a robotic way, dragging Jim along. Rapunzel and I watch as they disappear around the corner, then notice Mrs. Hawkins's eyes on us. Quickly, we turn to each other as if to resume conversation. I can hear Mrs. Potts and Mrs. Hawkins's subdubed conversation still within earshot:

"...how you are managing it all this time, dear."

"Managing it? I'm at the end of my rope. Ever since his father left, Jim just - never recovered. And you know how smart he is. He built his first skateboard when he was eight! And yet he's... failing school, he is constantly in trouble, and when I talk to him he's like a stranger to me. I don't know. I've tried everything."

Mrs. Potts smiles reassuringly at Mrs. Hawkins. "Everything will turn out alright in the end, my dear, you'll see." She looks over backs at us and shakes her head. "Oh, look at us, blabbering about while there are students to get to class."

Mrs. Hawkins nods, looking weary but assured. She plucks up a bunch of papers and let them fall neatly in her hands to hit the desk and straighten up. "Here you are - the bell should be ringing soon, and by then you'll have five minutes to get to class. You'll hear the one-minute warning bell right before the welcoming back to school announcement start, ending with the bell starting class."

"Have a good day!" Mrs. Potts adds as we take our respective papers and head towards the door.

"So are you a freshman?" Rapunzel asks as we walk out into the hallway, already filling with other students.

"Freshman?" I echo before quickly saying, "No, junior."

"That's too bad," Rapunzel mumbles, looking downcast.

"Don't worry, I'll probably see you at lunch!" I say in a cheerful tone. Rapunzel brightens up almost immediantly and nods before skipping off. I look down upon the packet, trying to read and maneuver around the other students. I wish I brought Belle's dictionary; I am having a difficult time figuring out all these different words. I decide first things' first and pull forth the schedule:

**1st Period: Thatch, Milo; History; D23**

**2nd Period: Cogsworth, Bevis; Math; E12**

**3rd Period: De Vil, Cruella; English; D14**

**4th Period: Sinclair, Helga Katrina; P.E.; GYM**

**Lunch**

**5th Period: Porter, Archimedes Q.; Biology; S-2**

**6th Period: Radcliff, Roger; Chorus; F-9**

**7th Period: Lumiere; French; T-6**

It seems pretty straight-forward. To my delight I had Mr. Thatch for first period. I look up and attempt to distinguish one room number to the other, and look at the map as well.

"Ariel!" I spin around, and grin as I see Giselle pushing through the crowd towards me, the girl named Sally behind her.

"Hi!" I exclaim. "How'd you find me?"

"Your bright red hair was hard to ignore," Giselle says with a laugh. "Thought you'd need help navigating this place. Did you look at the map?"

"Er..."

"Here," Giselle says cheerfully, helping me with the papers. "Didn't Ms. Efficent give you a backpack?"

"Uh..."

"I guess that's a no. Well, your first day of school, you'll be ok. Oh, and this note, you'll give to all your teachers in case they didn't get you on their roll call," Giselle says rapidly. I have the feeling right after she tells me about the papers that she is going to tell me everything about everyone in the school.

"Be careful of most of the teachers... ooh, not too bad... beware most of the jocks and school 'witches', oh, and don't drop any of these," Giselle rambles two minutes later as we walk down the hall.

Sally silently taps Giselle on the shoulder. "The bell just rang, we should get to class." She smiles at me. "I'll be coming with you; I have Mr. Thatch first period too."

I grin. "What about you, Giselle?"

"I'm a sophomore, oh well, I'll see you two around!" Giselle squeals and darts away.

I turn towards Sally, slightly amused. She is very slight, with a pale complexion and dirty red braids. Her placid countenance puts me at ease as she says, "This way is the D hall."

We enter the classroom, and Sally takes a seat to the side without another word. Looking around and seeing that the other students are doing the same thing, I do so near the window, placing my papers neatly on the desk.

"Excuse me, you are in my seat." I jump, banging my knee, and look up. A black-haired girl with dark skin and full red lips frowns down at me, a blue cap at an angle on her head. I jump out of the seat, startled and confused.

"Sorry," I stammer. She looks at me oddly.

"Are you new around here?" She spoke with an accent.

I nod quickly.

"Well, there's a seating chart, so go see Mr. Thatch," she says. I nod again. "By the way," she adds, "the name's Audrey. Audrey Ramirez."

"My name's Ariel," I say, smiling a little hopefully at her. However, she had turned towards the front and didn't look back at me. I bite my lip and look around for Mr. Thatch. He is bustling near the back, muttering, "Ow" as he hit his head on an edge while backing his head out of a cabinet.

"Mr. Thatch?" I say cautiously. He quickly turns to me and pushes his glasses back up his nose.

"Ah, yes, new student, yes, Arianna?"

"Ariel."

"Oh yes, come this way, you can sit next to Jesse Aarons, third row, at the edge." Mr. Thatch points out a brown-haired boy with an empty seat next to him. I smile and nod my thanks and hurry over to my seat. It is slightly ironic, as it is just in front of Audrey's seat.

Three short bells sounded the one-minute warning. The speakers crackle, and a dry voice says, "All students, welcome back to school. We hope you had a good spring break. Attention, all students to class before the bell rings." The speaker's tone seems to drop as she says, "To whoever took the 'L' from the swimming pool sign, ha, ha, we are all very amused."

I giggle softly, knowing all too well a couple of boy who would pull that off. I look over towards Jesse, who is twirling a pencil between his fingers. There are faint dark shadows under his eyes, and he slightly hunched over his desk.

The bell rings, and Mr. Thatch hurries over towards the front of the room, with the white board and chalkboard already crammed with writing. He pulls up a movable blackboard to the side of his desk and clears his throat.

"Good morning, class. Can - can everyone hear me ok?"

Awkward silence.

"So... how about some slides?" Mr. Thatch goes over to the funny white box thing, pulls down a white sheet, and says, "So this first picture is representing what we will be learning in this next unit -"

To my bemusement (and probably everyone's else's amusement) the picture of Mr. Thatch at the beach with a white cat pops up onto the screen. It quickly vanishes as Mr. Thatch mumbles, "Sorry that's... wrong..."

Audrey leans forward and murmurs so only I and Jess could hear; "Geez, I used to take lunch money from guys like this," getting a small chuckle from Jess.

"Ok, here we go," Mr. Thatch says as a new picture pops up. "Now this is a picture of Thor from Norse mythology..."

As each picture pops up on the screen, I find myself leaning forward in wonder of how this beam of light from the white box could form a colored picture up in front of me. The introduction with the slides ends a bit too quickly for me, from which Mr. Thatch continues, shifting past the white box towards the extra blackboard.

"So, any -" Mr. Thatch is cut off with a ring. "Uh, can you excuse me for a moment?" He turns around, looks past the board, which is apparently blocking his way, pushes the board and slides towards the ringing device on top with it sideways.

We hear: "Room D twenty-three, Milo Thatch speaking. ... Uh-huh, yeah, ok." There is a click, and Mr. Thatch slides back, showing the flipped board with the chalk drawing of a map. There is a long thick part missing down the middle, and why that is shows once Mr. Thatch turns around. "Now, as you can see by this, um..." he says as he turns his head, sees the missing part, and looks down at his shirt where the chalk had been rubbed off upon. "Um, map." He clears his throat as he slides in front of the board so that the map is complete. "The area of Norse settlements during the 8th to 11th centuries."

The bell sounds, and Mr. Thatch brushes off the chalk off his shirt. "Ah, time to go to your next class. No homework today. Ariel," he mentions for me to come over, and I swiftly obey. "Here is a list of required materials, if possible you can get most of them by this Friday, but definitely at least a pencil tomorrow. Now, do you need help finding your next class?"

"Sure..."

* * *

I head past the E hall classrooms, looking for the gleaming 12. As I do, students shrug past me or go around as I focus on the letters as I walk. Not very smart, as I eventually collide with someone.

"Hey!" The boy snaps as we nearly fall over. Well, I do, my papers flying scattered across the floor. I grit my teeth and hurry to gather them before I lose sight of one and before they couldn't get too trampled. I hear a huff behind me as I hurry to organize them into a straight pile in my hands, and I turn around to see Jim from the office, holding a few of my papers.

"Here," he grumbles, handing them to me.

"Thanks," I say, relieved and grateful.

"Be careful next time, alright?" he says, and I nod. He turns and vanishes into the flow of students, and I continue looking for E12. I don't get too far until I see Jim again, this time with another boy gripping his collar looking very, very mad.

"Perhaps your ears don't work so well," he is sneering as I draw close enough to hear. He towers over Jim, and is ridiculously thin, with a thin face, skinny fingers and a long narrow figure, but appears to be just as ridiculously strong. His skin is dark, with straggly black hair and a large ring on one finger.

Jim is turning his head away, clearing his throat. "Yeah - too bad my nose works just fine," he retorts, causing the other boy's eyes to narrow in anger.

"Why, you impudent little -" he shoves Jim against the lockers, causing some of the passing students to surround and cry;

"Pummel him!"

"Claw 'im!" screeches a tinier girl. I can't even express my alarm; were they _encouraging_ someone getting hurt? I try to get out and stop the thin boy, but the crowd had gotten thick, which only added to my horror at this behavior. I'd managed to peer over the shoulders of two people in front of me just enough to see someone else grab the thin boy's threatening arm.

"Well, Jafar," he says casually. He is much larger than most of the students, which explains how easily he got through them, with powerful muscles. His orange hair is kept out of his face by a blue headband. "Is torturing part of your pasttime or what?"

Jafar turns his head and glowers at him, but before he could say anything back a pompous voice comes over the crowd.

"What is going on over here?"

The students back away to allow a large, brown-haired teacher with a moustache come though, his hands behind his back. Jafar quickly lets go of Jim, and the larger boy lets go of Jafar.

"There will be no brawling in the hallways," the teacher continues, frowning at them. "Any further offenders will not only receive multiples detentions but may get sent directly to the office." He stops in front of Jafar. "Am I clear, Jafar?"

Jafar grits his teeth angrily, but is given the evil eye by both the teacher and the larger boy (Jim just slinks off back into the crowd). "Transparently," he growls.

"Well, then, off to class, off to class," the teacher says, making a shooing motion with his hands. The students scurry off.

He heads back to his classroom, of which to my relief is E12. I hurry after him, seeing Jafar and the larger boy doing the same thing. I head towards him, in case there is a seating chart like in Mr. Thatch's class. Mr. Cogsworth, as his name is, easily gets me a seat and a list, and begins the lesson once the bell rings.

I hardly understand a word of it. The only thing I learn is that the orange-haired boy's name is Hercules.

* * *

As I head back to the D hall, not only do I meet Rapunzel and Flynn again, but also a friendly dark-haired girl named Nancy, who had been helping Rapunzel.

"Who do you have next?" Rapunzel asks me as I join the threesome.

I check my schedule again. "Ms. De Vil."

Flynn mock gasps. "The devil!"

"Flynn..." Nancy chastens him, but he grins at me.

"Oh, I've heard of that lady. One of the evil and cruel. And..." Flynn peers over my shoulder to read the rest of my teachers. "The only evil teacher you've got! Lucky! I've got Mr. Ratcliff, Mrs. Tremaine, and -!"

"Flynn," Nancy says agin, frowning.

"_Cruella De Vil,_" Flynn begins singing, grinning at Nancy as if enjoying her annoyance of him. "_Cruella De Vil ... if she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will._" Nancy huffs angrily, and Flynn creeps around behind her. _"To see her is to take a sudden chill - Cruella, Cruella De Vil... The curl of her lips, the ice in her stare, all innocent children had better beware - she's like a spider waiting for the kill..."_

"Flynn, she might hear you!" Nancy hisses as we near the classroom. I see the silloette of someone in the window in the door.

"_Cruella, Cruella De Vil,"_ Flynn manages to finish before bursting into laughter and having a frustrated Nancy drag him away, Rapunzel waving good-bye to me.

Now I dearly hope she isn't as Flynn says. I look nervously as the door opens, revealing a pencil-thin lady in an enormous fur coat that overwhelms her and seems to exaggerate her thinness.

"Children," she purrs. "Come on in."

* * *

"Jumping jacks! Begin!" Miss Sinclair barks as I am to sit in the corner and watch how the physical education works. Miss Sinclair was slender with blonde hair in a braid down her back. She has small features, a dot under her eye, and bright red lips that made her very pretty, but she's tough.

I watch until the class ends, with my bottom sore from sitting, and I walk up to Miss. Sinclair afterwards.

"No one leave the gym until the bell rings," she orders as the class swarms up towards the opened doors.

"Um, Miss Sinclair? I'm to, um, get my P.E. uniform ...?"

She turns towards me, but before she answers a man that had been tugging a wagon down past the doors catches sight of her and says, "Blondie, I've got a bone to pick with you."

"Hold that thought," she tells me and walks up towards the man, who is short with white hair and a hat. "What is it this time, Cookie?"

"You've done stuff my wagon full of busting non-essentials - look at all this... cinnamon, oregano, cilantro - what in a cookadoodle is cliantro?! What's this?" Cookie pulls out a leafy green.

"That would be lettuce," Miss Sinclair snaps as she pushes it back towards him.

"Lettuce?" Cookie sputters. "LETTUCE?!"

"It's a vegetable, Cookie," Miss Sinclair says, snatching it from him. "The kids need the four basic food groups."

"I've got yer four basic food groups," Cookie retorts, holding up three fingers. "Beans, bacon, whiskey, and lard!"

The bell rings, to which Miss Sinclair shoves the lettuce back at Cookie saying, "Alright, cowboy, pack it up and move it out!"

I hear someone mumble behind me, "Did he just say whiskey?"

"I'm never looking at the cafeteria food the same way ever again," grumbles another.

* * *

**Yeah, going to have to split it into two. The next chapter is lunchtime.  
**

**Once again, thanks for reading and please review with any comments, criticism and advice, suggestions, and ideas. My notes are below, if you want to read them:**

**Who else is a big fan of Treasure Planet? (And Jim? :D)  
**

**I sort of switched Rapunzel and Snow White's ages (14 and 18) due to their personalities and role in the story.  
**

**If you actually read the schedule and wondered why Cogsworth's first name is Bevis, don't ask. I call it desperate randomness.  
**

**The funny white box thing is a projector, something my teachers would use to project images onto a white screen.  
**

**More scenes from the movies, yay! Of course, you'll have to watch most of them to know that they are scenes; I just love Milo Thatch from Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and I keep seeing merely that he's a disorganized teacher in most high school fics. I hope he's not too awkward - he's older here than in the movie, though I added the scenes from the movie. He'll have another important part to play in this, too.  
**

**I put Jafar in Mr. Scroop's place because I felt he was a pretty good villain with a similar personality and creepiness.  
**

**I keep reading in fanfics that orange hair like Giselle's, Adam's, and Hercules's is called red. But whenever I hear that I think of Ariel's bright red hair. So I just call it orange. Anyone else feel that way?  
**

**Helga (from Atlantis) sounded perfect for the part of P.E teacher when I read this on Disney Wiki: "Her charisma combined with her intelligence and aggressive nature makes her an excellent trainer and enforcer."**

**Watch the best of Disney's Atlantis on you tube if you haven't watched the movie - just watching the animation of the characters and the humor is awesome!  
**

**Atlantis and Treasure Planet are two of Disney's most underrated awesome movies. I just had to say that. Its characters do not get a big enough role in most high school fanfiction... (Mwahahaha, gonna change that...)  
**


	6. Chapter 6: All Those Other Guys Part II

**To those who don't know, Jesse Aarons is from Bridge to Terabithia (adapted from the book, yes from Disney) and Nancy is from Enchanted along with Giselle.**

**A shout-out to all that reviewed/favorited/followed! Even a small, short review means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: I've always wondered what would happen if someone doesn't include one of these... it's fun to see all the creative ways people expressed their annoyance at having to type the disclaimer every chapter, from short punchy sentences to letting someone else say the disclaimer. Just thought of that, actually... now, since you probably don't want to see this slightly pointless message, I do not own any part of Disney that is in this chapter. Wish I did, but... no.**

* * *

**Chapter Six: And All Those Other Guys Part Two****:**** Lunchtime**

I search the mob of students for a face from the Ward, gripping my papers tightly. The tables are rapidly filling, groups sitting down and set to eat and talk. I try to go with the flow and follow the other students, but it is all so confusing as some head one way and other another. I end up standing there awkwardly struggling to decide what to do. **  
**

"Hi Ariel, haven't seen you all day." I spin around, relieved to see Belle walking up to me from the cascade of students.

"Hi," I squeak. "I was just wondering... what's going on."

"Lunchtime!" Belle responds cheerfully. "Here, let me find the little paper..." She gently takes my papers and flips through them, finally plucking out one. "Here! This has a PIN number, it lets the Ward kids get the lunch because the Ward pays for it... the poorer kids can also get free and reduce priced meals using a PIN too. Just punch in this number into the blue numberpad. Follow me."

She leads me to a line, of which she explains can take a long time to move up to get lunch.

"Caesar salad!" I hear Cookie say cheerfully as he spoons a glop of brown stuff onto a student's tray. "Escargot ... and your Oriental spring rolls..." He only scoops up more of the brown, steaming food up and onto the trays. When it's my turn, and I nervously poke at the similar numbers, I get my glop of brown food.

"School food," Belle mumbles as we peel away from the counter. "It's never gotten any better. At least there're no more flies..."

I sniff at the greasy, hot tray I now hold in my hands. A spoon is laid neatly next to it. I got a "deli sandwich" while Belle got some "pizza"... the pile of food looks the same on our trays.

I look around as Belle says, "Well, I usually find an empty table... this place is full of cliques. Groups of kids," she quickly adds at my confused face, "that are officially named something that has some reputation. They usually sit together."

"Oh," I say. "Are you part of a ... click?"

"Nah, I often find a nice quiet corner to read," Belle tells me. "Sometimes I go join the nerds to talk about books."

"Nerds?"

"The mean term for smart people, often the more awkward ones. Unfortunately, it caught onto and stuck with this generation like a glob of chewed gum."

I stick to Belle's side as she calmly roams the tables towards the few empty ones in the back. "Oh! Rapunzel!" I say happily as I catch sight of her golden hair.

"Hmm?"

"Someone I met when I got here early - it's her first time at school, too," I say. I head over towards her, Belle following me after a few moments of hesitation. She looks like she wants to tell me something, but I decide that it could wait.

"Rapunzel, hi!"

Rapunzel turns towards me and grins. "Ariel!"

"Hello again," says the dark-skinned girl Rapunzel had been talking to before I walked over.

"Jasmine?"

"The one and only."

Jasmine is still wearing a dark, loose tee, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. She's pushing her food around with a fork, though it actually looked like food, not the cafeteria food.

"We can sit with you guys, right?" I say quickly, wondering why Belle had an odd look on her face.

"Sure!" Rapunzel chirps and scoots over to let me sit down. I slide next to her and look up towards Belle with an inquisite look on my face. Belle looks unsure, but as she looks around again she quickly sits next to me.

"Welcome to the craziest place and time of high school," Jasmine says dryly to Rapunzel and I.

"Crazy, huh?" Rapunzel says.

"Pretty much. Eating and social time. All the cliques get together to share the latest buzz, juciest gossip, compare papers and muscles and knock a few heads together," Jasmine says. "This is pretty much where you'd build up your social life - you can find the best people you'd ever meet in high school. And the worst."

"Worst?"

"High school is when teens are in their most destructive phase, still trying to mature, meaning risky behavior and life-changing stuff."

"Sounds pleasant, doesn't it?" Belle remarks.

"As previous but now outcast of the Princesses," Jasmine says, nodding towards the center of the cafeteria, "I can give you a few tips on who to avoid, what to believe, and all that jazz."

"It was freshman year, wasn't it?" Belle says in a dark tone. Jasmine meets her gaze with an equally dark stare.

"Yes. Learned my lesson the hard way. So anyway, the Princesses are just south of the Queens. Queens are part of the Royals - Ariel, you met Snow and Aurora yesterday. They're not that bad. The Princesses are not -"

"Not good news," Belle says.

"Agreed. Vanessa not-so-officially 'leads' them - biggest witch and nastiest of them all. Grimhilde, Yzma and Hart are sort of the main girls, followed by the sisters Anastasia and Drizella. I think it's all about money with them. Or greed. Or having a good dose of Schadenfreude."

"Huh?" both Rapunzel and I ask.

"Taking pleasure from watching others suffer. Malicious joy. Just your pleasant mean girls walking by planning the end of your life."

"Don't scare them," Jasmine mutters to Belle. Back to me and Rapunzel she says, "Stay clear of them. Anyone without a penny to spare - even those who do - can get off badly once you get on their nerves. Vanessa is the main gossip machine - vicious tongue. I don't care to name all those that words destroyed."

Rapunzel looks positively horrified, so I say nervously, "Good to know. Um, can we talk about something else...?"

"Stay away from the jocks," Belle says immediantly.

"Not all of them," Jasmine follows, frowning at Belle. "Not all of the hot muscular guys are instant jerks. Neither Hercules nor Phoebus are as bad as Gaston."

At the name Belle whips out her book and pointedly begins to read it.

* * *

The food isn't that difficult to force down. Rapunzel and Jasmine are discussing overly protective parents as I ate. I look around the cafeteria, still puzzling over these "cliques". All they seem to be are groups that share common interests and things like that. Why are they such a big deal?

As I brood over this curiosity, a deep voice says, "Why, hello, Belle."

Belle slowly lowers the book and says tightly, "Hello, Gaston."

Gaston has his black hair back in a ponytail, and is bulky with a handsomely chistled face. There is an air of superiority, and the smug look on his face could have been taken for confidence had it not been twisted with arrogance. My positive view of him plummeted as he rudely snatches the book from Belle's hands.

"Gaston, may I have my book back, please?" Belle says, polite but stiff.

"Are you _still_ reading, Belle?" Gaston says, flipping through the pages. "How can you read this stuff? These words are tiny - and there aren't any pictures at all!"

"Some people," Belle says with a hard edge in her voice, "can use their brains for intellectual purposes."

Gaston probably didn't get the insult, and tosses the book at Belle. It lands in her tray of food with a sloppy plop.

"Who are these two new faces?" he says, walking around to where Rapunzel and I sat. I can feel Rapunzel tense up next to me.

"Leave them alone, Gaston, and go hang out with people on your level," Belle says harshly, mopping the brown goop from her book. "Like James. Or Vanessa."

Gaston looks blank. "My level?"

"Well," Belle finally snaps, slamming her book onto the table. "You're conceited, rude - you tossed my father into the asylum, you tricked Adam and nearly got him killed, and got us both stuck in the Ward!"

Gaston shrugs as if oblivious to the extent of her fury. "Sticks and stones, love. You could have chosen to be with me -"

"As if anyone would!" Belle hisses.

"Both of you, stop it. Gaston, go back to your own table," Jasmine says, standing up. Gaston, looking towards her, opens his mouth as if to object, but quickly closes it. Jasmine, despite standing in dark clothes that hung loosely about her frame and gold and green sandals, looks intimidating with her hands on her hips and glowering. It is clear she is used to giving orders - to whom, I would only know by entering her household.

Belle slouches in her chair, scowling darkly. I had never seen her so ticked off. Meanwhile Gaston struts off as if his hard-headed pride had hardly been even bruised.

Belle sighs as she inspects her food, the glop sliding on her tray. "Thank goodness I lost my sense of taste years ago," she grumbles as she empties it into the nearby trash can, Rapunzel and I quickly following suit.

* * *

**A/N: I hope Belle wasn't out of character. What happened between her and Gaston is greatly based on what happened in the movie, only Gaston succeeds in locking up her father and Adam is still alive...**

**Since mermaids are real in this fanfic, I've been considering entering other fairy tale creatures into the story, only since this is modern high school its people wouldn't know of them.  
**

**And please, review review review!  
**


	7. Chapter 7: Be Prepared

**Disclaimer: Me no own Disney, capisce?**

* * *

**Chapter Seven: Be Prepared  
**

The bus was loud and chaotic. I can still hear the screams and loud singing as I step off the steps with the other kids of the Ward.

"Is the bus ride always like that?" I ask Giselle anxiously.

Giselle shrugs. "Pretty much, but you get used to it. Oh!" She abruptly stops and stares at a handsomely dressed boy in the distance. "Edward!" She runs off, hair flying behind her.

I am slightly more confident today. At least, I know where I'm going. Sort of. I walk around, looking at the signs, down the hallways, up the stairs, and under the awnings. The students, waiting for the bell to ring, stand around chatting animatedly. I want to join a group, but more wish to find someone I knew. There are some kids dotting here and there on their own.

I find Jasmine and Eric in discussion at the foot of some steps.

"Yeah, she just returned yesterday, and said Paris was amazing but cliche," Eric is saying as I near them, Jasmine looking like she's feigning interest.

"Yeah, that's sounds like something she'd say," Jasmine says drily. She looks up, and relief spreads across her features. "Ariel! Hi!"

She still wore dark, shapeless clothes, with a dusty blue jacket wrapped tightly around her waist and showing her shirt's looseness even more. Her black hair is in its usual ponytail, her bangs hanging heavily in front of her eyes.

"Hi Ariel," Eric says, and smiles the smile that makes my stomach flip. Taking a good strong grip on these school crush feelings so I wouldn't stand there like a voiceless fool, I smile back.

"Hi."

"Do you know -" both Jasmine and Eric says. Jasmine quickly took advantage of Eric's gentlemanly pause and plows on, "Aladdin? He's from the Ward too, isn't he?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah," I say. "Sort of talked to him once."

"He saved me from trouble just yesterday, though got himself back into trouble," Jasmine says, her eyes glinting. "Do you know if he returned to the Ward last night?"

"Um, no, sorry," I say cautiously, searching my memory of last night to see if I had seen the black-haired boy. Worry shadowed over Jasmine's eyes.

"Don't worry, Jasmine," Eric says, shouldering his backpack to lay a reassuring hand on his friend's shoulder. "Jim's gotten himself into plenty of trouble before, and usually comes out with warnings and a couple of detentions. One suspension. They don't send kids off to Juvenile Hall unless it's frequent or extremely serious."

Jasmine sighs. "Yeah, I know, I just don't want him in that much trouble on my behalf... my father was pretty angry with just me when he heard."

I wish I could say something reassuring as well, for I recall getting into plenty of trouble if memory serves me right.

"Eric!" a lovely girl's voice calls, and a beautiful girl Eric's age dressed in purple rushes up to where we stand. Her hair is long, brown, and wavy, the front pulled back into a half-ponytail so that the rest of her hair glided across her shoulders and down her back. The violet in her eyes remind me of someone, though I couldn't pinpoint who at the moment. She slides gracefully to Eric's side and hooks her arm through his. Jasmine steps a little away from the couple, while I stare.  
"It's been too long!" she purrs.

"Vanessa!" Eric says happily, looking genuinely pleased to see her. "It's only been a day."

"After a two-week long separation from my sweetie?" Vanessa simpers, laying a hand on his chest.

As Jasmine turns slightly away I can hear her mutter, "I will _not_ look and gag in disgust, I will _not_ look and gag in disgust..."

"Oh, Ariel, have you met Vanessa? Vanessa, Ariel, Ariel, this is my girlfriend Vanessa."

I can feel a horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. I want to recoil from Vanessa's narrowed eyes. There is something in her face I didn't like - or maybe it is just the way she's pressing against Eric.

"Oh, honey," she says in a sweetly tone, reaching out as if to touch me. "Don't you know that pink clashes horribly with red hair?"

My mouth falls open, but I couldn't say anything. It's as if her long colored nails had reached into my throat and stolen my voice.

I guess I have a crushed look on my face, for Jasmine quickly says, "Well, I'm heading for my locker, see you around you two," and taps me on the shoulder. "Ariel, are you coming?"

"Mnuh? Yeah," I say quietly, trailing after Jasmine.

Jasmine is muttering under her breath again, something about a witch.

"Isn't she the one you were talking about yesterday?" I say.

"Yep."

"Then... then why is she ...?"

"With a nice guy like Eric? Ugh, she is like the master - or mistress - of delusions and charm. It's only after she ruins your life that you get pulled out of it. It's ironic, really - she spreads rumors and people believe them, but people don't believe the rumors about her. Ridiculous." Jasmine snorts. "And guys... all of them, sadly, some body language and promise of a sweet physical relationship and they'll be hanging on her arm like a Halloween candy bag. They're all the same. I swear, Vanessa's trying to hook up and or break every senior guy's heart at Disney High."

* * *

"Good luck," Jasmine mutters to me as Vanessa comes over to our table at lunch. I am sitting with Belle, Jasmine, and Rapunzel again, along with Esmeralda and Giselle this time.

"Still with the Ward girls, are we, Jasmine?" Vanessa says, sickly sweet with a pearly white smile to match. "Why, lose your father to a car crash and you'll be right at home."

Rapunzel shifts uncomfortably at the mention of a car crash. Jasmine's knuckles turns white, but she didn't move towards Vanessa. Belle didn't look up from her book, while Esmeralda narrows her eyes and scowls. Giselle, however, remains sweet and smiling, as if she hadn't received a taste or heard of Vanessa's harsher acts yet.

"Ariel, Rapunzel, do you want to come and join our table?" Vanessa continues.

"Can I come?" Giselle asks, grinning.

Vanessa looks over at her, her features wavering, then returning to an even sicker smile. "Of course, angelfish," she says.

I didn't want to go, but as Rapunzel and Giselle rose I quickly got up too to make see what Vanessa is all about.

"Now, sweet cakes," Vanessa says as we got out of earshot of the other girls. "Especially you two, the new ones. You'll see that here at high school, there are a few expectations of those of a higher position. You don't want to be messing with the wrong sort. We can help you there."

She gestures towards the table where she is leading us to. Most of the girls are raven-haired, while one is a redhead and the other with her hair hidden but with pale, pale skin. Most had not-so-nice faces, as if one wrong move and they'll snap our necks - or, more accurately, scoff as if we were filth.

I frown at Vanessa. "What do you mean, 'wrong sort'?"

"Oh, my dear," Vanessa says with a chuckle. "Losers, failures, the poor, outsiders, like that bookworm or that poor green-eyed witch, not to mention your badly dressed friend over there. You'll want to know what's being said about them - or the same things will be said about you, if you hang out with... unfortunate souls like that. Like I said, we can help you pick out those sort, like that trouble-making loser over there, or that low-cashed tomboy at that tale." As she speaks, or rather, sneers, she points out Jim Hawkins and Audrey.

I stop walking. "I think I can figure out the wrong sort for myself, thanks," I say coolly. I don't like her insulting whom I consider friends, nor other people who haven't actually done anything wrong or mean.

Vanessa spins around to face me, her pretty face twisted. "Pity," she says just as coldly. "But be prepared, my redheaded sweetie pie." She leans towards me as if she didn't want Rapunzel nor Giselle to hear. "You stay away from my man, and my girls, and follow me when you can if you know what's good for you."

She gestures for Giselle and Rapunzel to follow. Giselle does so quite eagerly, jabbering, "Do you think you can help me get the attention of a guy? A really cute guy..." Rapunzel looks more unsure, twisting her hair in her hands. She ends up following Vanessa. I frown and go back to the table where Belle, Jasmine, and Esmeralda remained, not really digesting Vanessa's words. If I do go and do something on impulse that makes her mad, what's the worse she can do to me?

* * *

"Hey," Meg says to me. It is after school, and we are back on the very loud bus. She had slid into the seat next to me and turned to me with sever seriousness in her eyes. Abruptly, the color reminds me of Vanessa.

"You started off on Vanessa's bad side? Not smart, Ariel, I don't care if you haven't been here before. I'm surprised you even saw through her act and walked away. Now, you'll have to tip toe around her and hope she doesn't do anything just because you bumped into her in the hallway or put the spoon in your mouth the wrong way. She's the engine of that posse of hers, and they are as evil as Cruella De Vil. I would know. If she learns you are in the Ward, it'll just be worse. She doesn't like the Ward - she's been there before. Yes, I know," Meg continues, ignoring my slightly agape mouth trying to edge in a word. "We were... close. I ... erm, I am not going to tell you my story concerning her. Just telling you. You better be careful from now on. You have no idea what she can do. Trust me, no one knows until she does it to them. She can do it to your best friend, your boyfriend, your sister, but unless she does it to you, you'll never know it." She shifts as if about to get up. "Well, that's all I wanted to say."

"Wait," I finally say. "Why are _you_ warning me?"

Meg purses her lips and glares at me. She seems to be searching for a good answer. Finally she says, "Guilt can be a powerful motivator."

With that, she slumps in her seat, crosses her arms over her chest, and ignores me.

That pretty much ended our one-sided conversation.

* * *

**A/N: I would love to have the characters tell Ariel their story, but it seems too early in the story, plus they've only known her for... how long has it been? Four days? Five? *slaps forehead* I better keep track if I want this to end in exactly three weeks (which is 27 days, right? No?... 24? Wait, 21. That's it. Jeez, better work on my math! (le gasp, and my story schedule!)  
Anyway, here's your (yay! second!) update for the day! Whoa, already working on another, I'm on a roll today! :D  
**


	8. Chapter 8: A Spoonful of Sugar

**Disclaimer: I don't own Disney.**

**Sorry for not updating in a long time! I don't have much of an excuse save the fact I've been lazy. Sorry!  
**

**In answer to a review (yay, thank you!) yes, I will be adding in Cinderella, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, definitely Dr. Facilier and Alice, and all the other characters you haven't seen yet into this story. There are ... many, many Disney characters (it is no wonder high school fics are so incredibly long). I will be trying to inject new characters each chapter - for example, five in this one!  
**

**(By the way, James is better known as Captain James Hook.)  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: A Spoonful of Sugar**

The day rolled by without much incident so far. I was sure to keep away from Vanessa, though it was difficult to distinguish her from the back. I kept wondering how she could keep up the insulting people without other people getting suspicious - I had asked Rapunzel about it, who had only shrugged and said "She seems nice to me."

Very suspicious. I just can't shake it off. And it's not only because she's got Eric as her (current) boyfriend.

I walk from the counter with my tray of food, slightly sore from tripping over my own feet during last period's workout, carefully maneuvering so that Vanessa's table is at least two tables away.

"Hey, Ariel," a familiar voice says behind me. I turn around and grin.

"Hi, Eric."

Eric was sitting at a table with three other boys, one of which I recognized as Jim, looking reluctant to be there and slouching in his seat. The other two had their hair tied back loosely in ponytails, and I had only seen one of them before in one of my classes.

Eric gestures towards an empty seat next to him. "Do you want to sit with us?"

Now it would be impossible to wipe off my grin. "Sure," I say.

As I seat myself Eric says to the others, "This is Ariel, and she has an incredible amount of knowledge about the ocean. Ariel, these are some of my friends, Jim, James, and Will." He gestures to each one respectively. Will, appearing the age of a senior with deep brown eyes turns towards me and gives me a smile while James appears less interested, lifting his food with his spoon and watching the brown glop fall back onto his tray, and Jim didn't seem anymore friendly (he looks like he wished he were still alienated and alone in his corner). Eric is the only one at the table with his own lunch.

"You like to study the ocean?" Will says, to which I nod vigorously. "That's cool - usually one doesn't find girls who are the least interested."

"Or many kids in general," Jim grumbles.

"Jim, come on, you haven't been the same since ... well, since junior high!" Will exclaims, shoving at him slightly. "I remember back when you were just as interesting in the swashbuckling adventures in books like Treasure Island and all the others out at sea."

Jim only shrugs. I realize that he's twisting up a cube of many bright squares of different colors, twisting, twisting, until all the colors matched up to one color each side.

"Will!" A young woman with long, dark blonde hair came up to our table, shifting the folders in her arms on top of each other.

Will turns, and sort of turns a slight red as he stammers, "Hi..."

"I'm glad I found you - I can give you a copy now," she says, pulling out a rather thick packet of papers.

Will takes it, saying, "Thank - thank you, Miss Swann."

Miss Swann smiles and lowers her voice. "Will, how many times do I have to tell you that you can call me Elizabeth outside the classroom?"

"Just once more, Miss Swann," Will says, returning the smile.

A more of a teasing smile plays about Miss Swann's lips. "Good afternoon then, Mr. Turner," she says, turning and walking away.

There is a brief silence until Eric says, "You're drooling."

Will jolts and wipes at his chin before glowering at Eric. "Am not."

"Are you waiting for the opportune moment to pursue her, mate?" James says.

"Better be soon," Jim says, twisting the cube back up into a puzzle and snapping it back with swift flicks of his wrists (I cannot stop watching). "I heard James is going after her."

"He is?"

"You are?"

"I am?" James, looking absolutely befuddled, blinks at Will, who is narrowing his eyes at him.

The corner of Jim's lip twitches. "Not you, James Norrington, from the university."

Will slumps in his seat. "I don't know... even if she weren't a student teacher, I doubt her father would ever agree."

I am about to ask why not, though it is none of my business, when Vanessa strolls on up to our table.

"Eric!" she says in that awfully sweet voice of hers - it's awful for I have good reason to believe that it is absolutely fake. "Would you be a dear and come with me?"

"Of course," Eric says automatically, pushing back his chair. Will's face darkens; James is not-so-cleverly hiding that he's staring at Vanessa with longing in his eyes; and Jim, not appearing to care whatsoever, went on clicking the cube back into its proper color-coded place.

Vanessa pulls Eric closer and murmurs something in his ear, to which his face twists in confusion, then falls. He nods. Apparently very satisfied, Vanessa turns towards the table, though her eyes narrowed to slits when she saw me sitting there. I feel myself go rigid, my hangs tightly clutching each other.

"If you're going, please go," Will mutters. He quickly directs his attention over and says to Jim, "Hey Jim, what's your record on that thing?"

"...officially twenty-one seconds," Jim says a bit grumpily, and twists one third and allows the row of yellow fall with its mates.

"Well, aren't you good on the Rubix cube?" Vanessa purrs. (Why is she still here? I wonder.) Jim merely gives her a dark look behind the shadow over his eyes and twists the cube back up.

I couldn't help but say, "So that's what it's called?"

Vanessa gives me a less-than-impressed look. "You don't know what a Rubix cube is?" she says, mockery in her voice. I grit my teeth. "Aw, I'm not surprised, as you don't know much anything in the first place."

I jerk my head up. "What's that supposed to mean?" I say hotly.

Vanessa inclines her head towards Eric, who is looking a bit uncomfortable but allowing her to keep talking. "Eric told me that you barely even knew what a _fork _is used for. Where did you come from, the age of the cavemen?"

I'm not sure what those were, but I could tell she is insulting me. And why is Eric just standing there letting her?

"Vanessa, that's not nice." It is Will who speaks up.

"I have amnesia," I growl. "I couldn't remember my own name when I first woke up."

"Aw, poor cupcake," Vanessa says, on her face mocking pity. "Keep telling yourself that."

"What's _that_ suppose to mean?" I demand, standing up.

"Well, she's implying that you're stupid," Jim answers, finally abandoning his Rubix cube, "so that she can insult people without anyone else around her telling her to shut up."

I cast a fervent look at Eric to see if he is catching this (I see Will and Jim at the corner of my eye doing the same), but the boy just looks dazed. I have the wild urge to clap my hands loudly in front of his face.

Vanessa whips her head around and glowers at Jim - I can see loathing etched upon her face. Jim had refocused his attention on his glop of food, pushing it around with his spoon as if to find the less disgusting parts, either oblivious to Vanessa's piercing glare or merely ignoring it.

"And aren't you the boy," she quips, watching Jim scoop up a spoonful of food, "who doesn't care about school and is preparing yourself to be a trouble-making criminal just because your father dumped your mother?"

That is when I step towards her, my temper at its breaking point. "Why is it that you -" I blurt out, but before I could finish I feel something wet and gloppy hit the back of my head. I hear a stifled gasp behind me, see, Vanessa's face stretching into an ugly smirk, and wonder what in the storming oceans just happened.

"Sorry!" I turn to see Jim frozen up. "That wasn't meant for you!"

I reach to touch a familiar squishy substance in my hair. I grab as much as I could and grin at Jim. "I hope I know who it was meant for."

And I throw the cafeteria food at Vanessa.

* * *

To say Vanessa was mad is an understatement. But I only see her horrified face as she stares at the brown stuff splattered across her shoulder, spots on her blouse and in her hair. I spin back to grin at Jim, who, for the first time I've seen him, is grinning.

And, just to play and get back at him for, despite being accidental, throwing food in my hair, I flick some food back towards him across the table.

Then, maybe due to my previous outburst or maybe Vanessa's shriek when I hit her with the food, people were staring at the exchange of flying food. Then, some fool at the back yells, "FOOD FIGHT!"

The cafeteria explodes into chaos as even more of the brown glop is hurled into the sky and smacks unsuspecting victims, whom, in a fit of rage, hurls it back and ends up hitting someone else. Vanessa is screaming, but I ignore her as I dodge the handful of food Jim had thrown back at me. I grasp as much food my hand could hold from a tray (by that time it didn't matter whose it was) and throw it at him. He bursts into laughter as he dances away around the table and begins chasing me with another handful of food. Spurts of energy races up and down my legs and shoots through my veins as we play this game, this oh so fun game, and I keep laughing, laughing with such childlike joy it fills me with even more joy that someone else is radiating the same energy.

Will and James had taken refuge under the table; no doubt inspired by the similar actions of other students who couldn't care less about participating. I could almost see Belle sitting calmly beneath a table reading her book, and Rapunzel struggling to keep her long hair out of the way of the flying food, and Meg just sitting there in the midst of it all sighing at the ridiculousness of it.

Now, with the lack of food on one of the trays, Jim had taken it as a shield and easily avoiding my attacks. I pelt him with food, encouraged by the fact that I had finally got him a few seconds ago while he had easily had my clothes, face and hair spotted with the food.

Unfortunately, the fun ends as there comes a bellow; "WHAT IS GOING ON IN HERE?"

* * *

Vanessa got me and Jim back. Now blamed for starting the whole mess, we were to clean the cafeteria up.

I am staring with my mouth open at the place, not realizing just how much got out of hand. The ground, the walls, the tables, the chairs, all with the brown food and trays left behind in a disarray. Yeah, there were lunches students brought from home, but it is easier to see all the brown than the specks of white or green.

Jim had gone right back to moodiness when he learned we were to clean the entire place. We were given as much time as needed, though I am wondering right now if this will take the rest of the day. It would be awkward to miss the bus back to the Ward and having to sheepishly explain that I was cleaning the cafeteria.

Miss Poppins is to supervise us, and now she does watching us with undivided attention. She is a slender lady with brown hair up under a small hat, with a kindly but very stern face. I like her. She doesn't only watch us, but shuffles around the cafeteria helping us in any way she could. When she breaks out the mops after we pick up and dump as much food as we can into the trash, she taught me how to use it in a way that didn't hurt my back. After confirming I've caught on, she left me to my own devices.

I mop the floor, the hurt from the Vanessa incident coming back. What really hurt me wasn't what she said, but that Eric let her do it. He looked on, not saying anything, as if he approved of it. As if it were normal and ok. But it wasn't ok. I feel oddly betrayed even though he didn't do anything.

That's just it. He didn't do anything. Who else won't bother to stop a bully? What could happen to a victim if no one else steps in?

I sniff a little, feeling the emotions building up. I order them to calm down, for the tide to retreat. Vanessa won't control me. I won't let her inside my head and smash me down. And I will absolutely not crumble because a really sweet, kind, handsome boy I really, really like loves someone like her and won't do anything to fight against her.

Am I really trying to make myself better? Disgusted with myself I carelessly swung the mop around to cover the ground behind me. In doing so, I unwittingly smacked Jim on the leg.

"Sorry!" I gasp. Ugh, I can feel the results of the hard work of cleaning clawing at my muscles. I just want to sit down and moan.

Jim shrugged as if to say "It's fine" or more likely "Whatever". He leans on his mop and sighs. "It's been a fun day, huh?" he says to me. "Meeting new friends... like that gossip witch."

"Hm," I say with a small smile, detecting the sarcasm in his voice. "Oh, Eric honey," I mimic Vanessa, rather poorly, hunching my back and forming my hand into a claw. "Will you come with me so I can cast one more spell? I think this one is wearing off."

Jim chuckles. "A little nastier."

I think for a moment. "Bwa haha ha ha!" I evil-cackle, raising my clawed hand over my head and wriggling my fingers.

"Pretty close," he says.

I fall into real laughter. "Oh," I say as I work on a greasy stain, "I think my daddy would have flipped if he found out I started a food fight. If only I can remember even more, I'd hear him teaching me about rules."

As I say "daddy", however, Jim's face grows dark again. He turns away from me. I frown at him, and quickly pick up what might have troubled him. "Your father's not the teaching sort." It came out more of a statement than a question.

Jim looks up from his mop. "No," he says bitterly. "He's more of a going away and, never coming back sort." He focuses even further on his mopping, shoving so it went under a table.

"Oh," I say quietly. I walk over to where he is mopping. "Sorry."

"Hey, it's no big deal," Jim says quickly, leaning his mop against the table and brushing at a glop of food still left on it. "I'm going just fine."

I could tell by the tremor in his voice he is trying to hide the fact he isn't. _Ever since his father left, Jim's never been the same, _Mrs. Hawkins had said.

I want to say something, to console him, to bring another smile to his darkened face, when Miss Poppins pops up out of nowhere behind us.

"The bell's going to ring in fifteen minutes for your second to last class," she says briskly. "I think you two have done a fine job - I will do the rest."

* * *

I drag myself to the bathroom, and lean over the counter, still wishing I could just lift myself up and sit on it. Oh well. The rushing water over my hot hands feels so good. I cup my hands and splash the water upon my face, sighing as I feel small streams crawling down my face to collect at the base of my chin. I rip a paper towel up to pat it dry, then focus on the pieces of food still stuck in my red hair. As I pluck them out, staring into the mirror, the door opens again. I gaze strictly into the mirror, my heart sinking as I see Vanessa walk regally in the mirror.

"...so, like, yeah, we are all going shopping on Saturday. This dress is _so_ last season," she says to her plump friend with jet-black hair.

The black-haired girl zips open a purse-like bag and daintily picks up a black tube. "So do you think Edward and Giselle would ever get together?"

"Are you kidding? They're two idiots with a delusion of 'happily ever after'. They are _perfect _together," Vanessa purrs, applying a dark lipstick. "It will be so much fun destroying it."

Anger stirs up in me. Giselle is a very nice girl, no matter how naive or chatty she might be. "What are you talking about, 'destroying'?" I say.

Vanessa looks over almost lazily towards me. "Oh. Ariel. How was cleaning the cafeteria? You've got brown streaks all over your head."

"Did you _ever _go out in the sun? You're so freakishly pale," her friend sniffs.

"Sickly pale," Vanessa adds. She turns towards her friend. "Hart, tell me you are going to get a nose job."

"Oh, my mom won't let me until I'm like, in college. So annoying."

"Tell me about it. My mom wouldn't even let me get my ears pierced until, like, middle school."

"Sucks, right?" Hart peers into the mirror, widening her eyes and applying mascara. I shudder at how close that black thing got to her open eye.

"What do you think of my hair? I used a different conditioner. Is it more wavy now?"

"Oh, it's gorgeous. Wait, what about my new necklace? Does it match my eyes?"

"Oh my gosh! How much did that cost?"

"So much my mom freaked when she saw the price on her credit card account."

Vanessa laughs. "You took hers?"

"She confiscated mine."

"Parents," Vanessa sneers. She gives me a sideways glance. I try to ignore her as I ran my fingers through my now wet hair. "Some people are just_ lucky _to lose them, huh?"

Heat coils down in my stomach, rising up. I glower at her, but she merely glances back towards the mirror and pats down her hair. I feel a twinge of envy. Her dark brown hair is near perfect, falling in beautiful waves down her back. It frames her heart-shaped face perfectly. No wonder so many boys fall for her.

Wait, what? Now love is based on pretty hair? What is this world?

I look back at my own reflection, my stomach sinking even further. My skin _is _pale, as if it rarely met the sun's light. My cheeks, red from anger and embarrassment, seem blotchy and are as round as apples, but seem so chubby. Suddenly I want cute freckles like Rapunzel, or carmel-colored skin like Esmeralda, or a smooth brown like Jasmine. My hair, with wet streaks in some places and some not, seem ridiculous, a brilliant red, and fluffy and shapeless in the air. It seems to wilt when wet, and my bangs are too big.

Fueled by a sudden rage at my own appearance, I cup my hands under the running water again and jerk them towards the looking glass, the stupid looking glass that shames me.

I hear laughter, but barely notice Vanessa and Hart leaving the bathroom, leaving me to stare at my splattered reflection.

* * *

I walk down the B hall, feeling less than great. However, my attention is captured by a golden stuffed bear wearing a red shirt sitting on the floor against the wall. Curious, I pick up the stuffed animal, marveling at the softness of its fur.

"Pooh bear!" I hear a soft voice call, and turn to see a young boy with light brown hair turn the corner, looking around. When he sees me holding the teddy bear, his face splits into a grin. "Oh, you've found Pooh bear!"

"Pooh bear?"

"Winnie the Pooh," the boy clarifies, though I am still confused at the name. I hand the bear to the boy, who hugs the bear and says, "So this is where you've been wandering? Oh, you got lost? Silly old bear."

"So you call him... Pooh?"

"All of us do," the boy says. "Oh, and my name's Christopher Robin. We just got here."

"We?"

"Yes, Piglet, Rabbit, Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Kango, and Roo, everyone from the Hundred Acre Wood. As I said, we just got here when these tall men came after school and said we all had to come over here. There's been an accident. Yes, my parents were in an accident. But they'll be back, won't they Pooh?" Christopher smiles and hugs the bear. Suddenly, I want a teddy bear. Something to hug and cuddle and talk to.

"It was nice to meet you, both of you," I say with a smile, struggling to keep my newfound jealousies down.

"It was nice to meet you too," Christopher says, returning my smile. He holds Poor Bear by one of his paws and in the air close to the ground as if he were walking along with him holding hands. "Come on, Poor Bear, Rabbit's having a fit... everyone's been looking for you!"

And off he skips, as carefree as he possibly could be.

* * *

**A/N: Yep, the start of the serious stuff. Ariel is finding herself introduced to abusive relationships, distorted vision of one's self (often because of bullying, words, or even a trusted adult's not-so-thought-out comment), jealousy and "accidents" that can take away someone's parents.**

**In high school, a teen's self-esteem generally drops to its lowest due to expectations, pressure, stress, bullies, cliques, and all that high school drama (not just who likes who and who's sleeping with who - that's just shallow) that can result in introductions to abusive "romantic" relationships, eating disorders, smoking, drug abuse, gangs, taking stupid risks, use of weapons, cutting, bullying (from physical to verbal to gossiping to cyberbullying), depression, and even suicide. In this fanfic, there will be much of this stuff implied or even outright from now on, so... just a warning! However, if you are a teen yourself as I am learning this stuff, you have to know that this is important stuff not to be taken lightly. This is not just a fantasy fairy-tale. These things _can_ happen.  
**

**So, anyway, onto the story notes!  
**

**Yes, I know that in the movie Will and Elizabeth are the same age (about 20) but I couldn't resist making Will a few years younger so that Elizabeth's a college student teacher to add in that fun scene from the movie. I don't know just how yet, but dear Jack Sparrow and Mr. Smee will make their appearance...  
**

**Rubix's cube! Had the idea for Jim to play with one when he figured out how to open the map.  
**

**FOOD FIGHT! I've been wanting to write that scene for ages!  
**

**Anyone getting confused about Vanessa yet? (Good! Meant to do that!)**

**Is it just me or do I never see Christopher Robin and his band of stuffed animals in fanfiction much?**

**Today is Wednesday in the story. The next chapter will have to be Friday, as I had two chapters on one day, and because I'm a bit impatient for *SPOILER* the visit to the asylum on Saturday.  
**

**So, to give you a look on my agenda, on the weekend is going to be a surprise, but the following week in this story will be all high school problems. Gossip, drugs, breaking up, dropping behind in school, and all that stuff. More of your favorite Disney characters will (finally) make their appearance.  
The next week (the last week) will remain a surprise for now. Once I get this week done you just might get a clue of what will happen on that third week - getting closer to Ariel's deadline.  
**

**READERS! If you have a favorite character (people, animals, magical creatures, any) and you are actively enjoying this story so far, please do review and tell me if you want that certain character to have an active/very important/big role in the fic! Those that I know for a fact will include Ariel/Eric/Vanessa (hopefully it's obvious), Belle, Rapunzel, Meg, Jim ... yeah. Gee, where are the boys in my list!? Please review!  
**

**Again, trust me, I will I will I will add in all the other lovely characters of Disney! I just.. haven't... quite yet. But they will indeed all (all the ones I am aware of, that is...) appear at least once! Tell me the character you want to see more of!  
**

**Thank you all so much!  
**


	9. Chapter 9: After Today

**Cherucha: Oswald and Mickey will make their appearance, but later on into week three (where the magic begins!).**

**And yes, Vanessa is the woman whom Ursula transforms into, but in this story she's her own character with the full impact of Ursula's personality (for Ursula, as you've seen in the first chapter, is slightly changed...)  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Disney.**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: After Today**

"Finally! Only one more day to go through before the weekend!" Esmeralda sighs as we get off the bus.

"Weekend?" says I.

"We don't go to school _every_ day," Esmeralda says with a slight laugh. "We get two days off each week, Saturday and Sunday."

"Oh," I say, a bit relieved. At least I won't have to worry about facing Vanessa and her group for two days.

"What I really look forward to the weekend," Esmeralda continues, "is that we can finally get out of the Ward - with a chaperone, of course - to nearly anyway in a seventy-mile proximity that's not private for an hour. Of course, we can't shop or anything with money but at least we get out, meet some friends, go to the park, window shop..."

"Huh," I say, interested.

"You might be heading over to some psychaitrist that will help you with your memory," Esmeralda says to me.

I perk up. "Really?"

"Yep. Oh, Pheobus! Madeline!" Esmerlda cuts herself off and hops on her tip toes, waving furiously towards the said students. "See you later, Ariel!"

"See ya," I say, watching her go. I begin walking up towards my locker when I hear the loud rush of wind and beeping as another bus - not the Ward, but a school bus that regularly goes around and picks kids up in relative neighborhoods. I can't help but jump at the sudden noises a bus makes when it pulls up to the curb, stops, and rests to let the other high school kids get off.

I turn and study the great big machine again, still yet fascinated by its size and mechanical parts. Belle had given me a book about how a car works, and I am still curious and fascinated how such creatures - that aren't even alive! - could carry so many people. Colors flash as students spill out from the front and back doors. I stand a little back so that I could still watch and not be in anyone's way.

Another loud sound makes me jump. "_CINDERELLA!" _

Two girls, having hopped out from the back seat of a sleek car that had also pulled up to the curb, yell back into the bus in jagged harmony wtih nasal, demanding voices. I remember seeing them sitting with Vanessa, Hart, and the rest of the girls. They are dressed alike and to impress, with tight tight jeans and obvious make-up. One had her black hair tied up with a bow and the other's curly red hair was long with bangs. Apparently sisters, they strutted towards the school side by side while another girl from within the car struggled to her backpack and two others out. She swung one out first before stepping out of the car and tugging at the strap of the other.

"Step on it, Cinderella!" the black-haired cries impatiently.

"Don't you dare tear my backpack - it's the latest model!" the second says imperiously.

Cinderella grunts as she finally emerged stumbling from the car with her enormous backpack on her back and two bright, bright backpacks, one in each hand. Her strawberry blonde hair is tied back from her face, though a few strands still hung in her flushed face. "Here you go," she pants as she lifts the two backpacks towards the sisters.

"You expect me to carry that all the way up to my locker?" the eldest one sniffs.

Cinderella seems to wilt as she allows her laden arms to lower towards the ground.

"Don't let it touch to floor! It'll get dirty!" the redhead shrieks, though she made no move towards her precious backpack.

"Oh look, there's Yzma!" the black-haired girl says, tugging at her sister's arm. "She totally needs a make-over this weekend, doesn't she?"

"Totally. But I need to ask her how she got so thin!" the redhead squeaks. She abruptly points to the side, bouncing on the balls of her feet, squealing, "Oh, oh look Drizella, it's Charles!"

The two quietly shriek, possibly in excitement, before rushing off. I stand staring after them in disbelief when I heard Cinderella go "Oof!"

I jerk my head back towards her and saw her sprawled on the ground, the weight of all three backpacks too much. "Let me help you," I say hurriedly, rushing over towards her. I could almost hear mocking, taunting, sneering laughter in the back of my mind, and I lock it firmly away.

"Thanks," she pants as I help her up, lifting up one of the backpacks.

"You're welcome," I say. "Cinderella, is it?"

Her face flushes red again. "Oh, that's just what my stepsisters call me," she explains, notes of embarrassment lingering in her voice. "I got the nickname back when I was young and sat too close to the fire and ashes. It's Ella, actually."

"Ah, hi Ella, my name's Ariel," I say. It's funny - if one were to say "Cinderella" smoothly, it sounded almost pretty, and oddly princess-like. Ella has small features and is petite like me, with large blue eyes and a high forehead.

Ella smiles. "Nice to meet you."

"Do you need help with these?" I ask, gripping one of the backpacks.

"Oh, it's alright, I'm used to it," Ella says.

"Really?" I say in amazement. "They do that to you every day?"

"Well, not every day," Ella admits. "Just when they feel like it."

"And... you let them?"

Ella shrugs helplessly. "What else can I do? Besides, I don't really mind." Her smile becomes forced.

"That's not nice," I say quietly, almost to myself. "And they're your sisters?"

"Stepsisters. They're not all that bad, really," says Ella.

"They treat you like a servant."

"Well, besides that. The Bimbettes are a lot like them. Si and Am, too, though they're a lot sneakier, and cunning. I think it's like a network from Vanessa's main group."

The sound of her name sends shivers down my spine. "Is Vanessa some kind of leader?"

"Well, we mostly refer to her as the nastiest, though Grimhilde is the main girl. Anyway, if you want to help Anastasia's locker is down this hall..."

* * *

"You'd think girls would be treated more fairly," Mulan tells me during physical education. We are doing free indoors basketball due to the sprinkling of rain (which I just couldn't be dragged away from). I keep stumbling and shooting poorly as Mulan swishes basket after basket. Her long, straight, jet-black hair is pulled back into a ponytail, though one strand still fell in the middle of her forhead, and kept bouncing up and down and against her back as she jumps, runs, and dribbles around me as we do a one-on-one game. She is of Chinese origin, with almond-shaped brown eyes that are so dark I first thought them as black, olive skin, cherry blossom lips and big ears. Apparently she is the local tomboy, indulging in all sorts of sports rather than in style and fashions.

"My family is very traditional. They keep expecting me to be graceful, quiet, and demure," Mulan says, doing a near perfect layout as I pant and swipe the sweat from my forehead. "I swear they're making plans to marry me off once I come of age."

"They'd do that?" I say in short gasps.

"Back in the past people used to marry girls off when they were as young as fourteen," Mulan scoffs. "They keep seeing females as meek and dependent - they still do. It infuriates me, especially when boys make fun of me trying out for a team." She hurls the ball so hard it springs back from the dashboard and flies back at us.

"You're right," I say. "That is hardly fair."

"And it all goes to appearances and sex, too. I won't go on about it, but I hate the inequality. Did you know that women used to have been paid less than men at the same job regardless of which did it better?" She makes a hoop.

"No," I say.

"If you're black or hispanic or even of a different religion, you get treated even worse if you're a girl. Everybody looks down at them as if they are inferior. We're human too, you know!" Mulan rants at the basketball.

Human.

Still a strange word, yet I cannot process why when I myself am human. It's as if I'm cut in half, one part human and one part something else altogether, and the human side is gradually taking over. I don't know why it's scaring me just yet, but I think the unkindness of humanity has a big role.

* * *

"Global warming?" I find myself asking in Biology. My partner Pocahauntas nods.

"Environmental problems are everywhere," she says darkly. "Oil spills, pollution, destruction of forests and trees - even most of the air we breathe comes from the chemicals from the smoke from factories. We are hardly taking good care of our Earth. It hurts me to read about an animal or a tree getting hurt from all this." Her dark eyes turn solemn and sad. She pulls her long, raven hair from her neck and shoulder as she bent over our textbook.

I shudder, a memory of a fish struggling in a plastic ring, and disgusting things erupting from the disturbed mud from the ocean floor. I also remember finding other human things, then placing them... placing them... somewhere.

"The worst part is that animals are constantly treated as savages," Pocahauntas went on to say. "Even some people are treated that way. But every living thing has a life, a spirit, and a name. Not only the people who look and think like us are people - there are strangers out there who have wisdom beyond our comprehension. That's what I was taught back in my hometown, and I still believe it. Here, the most we do to nature is destroy it instead of living with it in harmony."

"Your hometown?"

"Virginia. My family was descended from Native Americans, before I think the English came along to claim the land." Her mouth twists disapprovingly. "As if the earth was a dead thing they can claim."

* * *

"Hey, look," Sally, who is sitting next to me closest to the window on the bus, says quietly. I look over as the bus screeches to a halt at an intersection.

"What?"

"There, on the poster."

A poster, one loose corner flapping in the wind, had been taped to one of the stoplight poles. The solemn girl's face peers out from the paper, her brown hair dangling about her face with the word MISSING above the picture. Below read _Angelica Cruz was last seen at the Walt Park talking to a tall, cloaked man. Hair: Brown. Eyes: Brown. If found please call - reward!_

"Poor girl," Sally sighs. "She could've been kidnapped, for ransom."

"Or as a prostitute," Meg's voice drawls, coming from the seat in front of them. "Or she ran off."

"Why would someone run away?" I say.

"Many things. Pressure from parents or school, abusive parents, fleeing from the law, with somebody else, because she's pregnant... usually signs like that are posted for a few months before they're taken down and the girl's taken for the dead."

I remain silent for the rest of the ride.

* * *

After today, I am relieved that this week was over. Something tickled my mind, whispering, _A week and a day. A week and a day. A week and a day are up. Thirteen more days._

_Be quiet, _I thought before turning over in my bed and falling asleep.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who viewed, reviewed, followed, favorited, and all those!**

**Hope you're not too depressed by the matters and subjects being briefly discussed. There's more to come. If you don't want to read such matter, then you might want to wait until the third week, which should be in - *counts on fingers* at least seven chapters!  
**

**Now nearly all the princesses have made their appearances. Tiana's going to come up in a few chapters. Please continue to review and suggest characters! Thanks again!  
**


	10. Chapter 10: I'm Still Here

**Heya, sorry for the wait on the update, so, note that below has not been researched and I am making up this asylum as I go, so don't think that that is as real as today's places. I've taken bits from American McGee's mentions of the place in his Alice in Wonderland game as well as from vague book scenes.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Disney.**

* * *

**Chapter Ten: I'm Still Here**

It is Merryweather, Belle, and I in the car, uncomfortably sitting wreathed in silence. As much as I want my memory back, I can't help but feel really, really nervous about _how_ they planned to do it. Next to me, Belle is twisting her hands in her lap, her head resting against the window, eyes glued to the flying scenery. Though I dare not ask, I couldn't help wondering what she is worrying about. But then again, we are heading towards a place of which Ms. Efficent described "somewhere people who are a danger to themselves and others, with poor mental health, go to stay, stabilize, and leave when deemed fit and cured". Meg described it as "a jail for anyone whose mind set is different from anyone else, or is insane or just plain crazy, and the only way someone can leave that place is to be brainwashed".

Neither had been very assuring.

What if they decided _I _had a strange mind? What if they saw me insane? What if they deemed me good enough to stay there? I am merely in foster care, I would be easy to transfer.

I stare at the back of Merryweather's seat, and wish once more that I still had my memory. Why didn't they come back yet? Why won't they come back? They are so slow to tease out.

After what seemed like ages, Merryweather pulls up next to a clean white building. "We're here," she announces.

Belle rapidly opens the door and jumps out. I follow suit more slowly.

How can I explain the inside? Very... clean? Serious people, with serious faces, with powerful arms and all sorts of funny stuff sticking out of their belts. I could tell they take their jobs very seriously. This must be a serious place.

"You'll have to wait, Ariel," Merryweather says to me.

"How long?" I ask nervously. I'm not sure if I would be able to take the apprehension and anticipation building up inside me and have it dragged on longer.

Merryweather shrugs. "They probably take their own sweet time with it," she grumbles. "I wouldn't say soon."

After a moment of silence, Belle pipes up; "How about Ariel comes with me to visit my father? It wouldn't take too long, and the therapist should be here by the time we come back."

"Sounds good to me," Merryweather says. "Go ahead and ask them." She totters over to one of the "waiting chairs" and plops down.

Now Belle and I walk down the white hallway, with me jumping at the abrupt sounds of shrieks, yells, and thumps that came from various rooms. Apparently this is the visiting hour, and some of the patients, as Belle explained, didn't like the presence of other people, or were dangerous in so. It had taken a bit to persuade the person at the desk to let me come along with Belle, and now I can piece together the reason why.

We turn a corner, and I jump a mile high as a voice behind us calls, "Oh, Mr. White Rabbit!"

Belle, as cool as an ocean pearl, merely turns around and says, "Hello, Alice. Why are you out of your room without supervision?"

I turn as well to see a young girl with voluminous blonde hair, restrained by only a black headband. She wore one of those strange hospital blue gowns, and is pale and barefoot. Her piercing blue eyes are full of curiosity.

"I saw the White Rabbit again," Alice replies swiftly, with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "You remember, the one that's all dressed, and with a pocketwatch! He ran out of my room through a rabbit hole in the wall, just now, claiming that he's late. And I could have sworn he turned a corner and disappeared. Oh, I do wish to know what he is late for!"

"You should go back into your room," Belle says firmly. "Before you get yourself into trouble."

"But the Chesire Cat said that the White Rabbit went this way!" Alice protests. "I've been so close to finding and asking him. I'm sure that if I find the Caterpiller again..."

Belle's gaze softens as if helpless. "Alice," she says quietly, as if searching for words.

"Ah, there she is!" cries a voice down the hall. In came in a flustered nurse, plump and red-faced. "Alice, we are going back to your room, alright? Come now, Alice..."

"But the White Rabbit-!"

"Not now, dear, not now, there are other people coming at this hour," the nurse says, guiding her down the hallway.

"The White Rabbit?" I say curiously.

"Yeah," Belle says slowly. "Alice has... hallucinations. She's been claimed to have vivid dreams constantly, and one day when she, according to her older sister, had been fully awake, ran off suddenly. She was found ranting about a White Rabbit, the main subject of her dreams. At first they blamed on overactive imagination, but then Alice went running around in dangerous places looking for him. She won't stop. I guess it was after some incident they brought her here to stabilize, but it's difficult. She's constantly finding new ways to escape her room and wander the hallways calling for the White Rabbit. She's always talking about strange things and creatures in this 'Wonderland'. It isn't helping that the other patients she questions amuses her. I believe there could be someone else she calls the Caterpillar, like a nickname, because no bugs nor animals are allowed in here. She's harmless, really, but a danger to herself."

"So the White Rabbit isn't real?" I say. "What's a caterpillar?"

"Oh, right," Belle says as we resume walking. "Well, the White Rabbit isn't really real, because animals don't usually wear clothes or talk. But a rabbit is an small animal with long ears. I should show you a picture from one of my books some time. A caterpillar's an insect, a long green worm-like creature that eats leaves before going through metamorphis to transform into a butterfly."

I quickly absorb this as we reach a door. "So no one believes her?"

Belle frowns. "I do, like all the fantasy books I read, but everyone else ... these things she sees... hasn't been seen in this world. It doesn't exist. Only in Alice's Wonderland - her word. Her mind. That's why she's here, they think she's crazy, with an unhealthy mind."

She knocks on the door. "Papa?"

There are sounds behind the door, someone's muffled voice saying something I couldn't hear through the door. Finally the door opens, and a short, portly man with a shock of white hair and a mustache peers out. "Belle?" he says joyfully. "And you've brought a friend! Come in, come in!"

"Hello, Papa," Belle says, her face lighting up. Both she and I shuffle into the room, which is, again, white, but very messy.

"I would have cleaned up more, but I suppose I've forgotten today was the day you were coming," Belle's father chuckles. "They've been doing more work on me nowadays."

A shadow passes over Belle's face. "Are you doing alright here?"

"Oh, fine, fine," he says vaguely, shuffling over to his bed and beginning to pull off the sheets, clothing, and metal pieces.

"They let you keep this stuff?" Belle says in surprise, picking up a nail from his bedside table.

"Why, yes, they've trusted me very much so this past week," he says cheerfully. "Belle, you haven't introduced me to your friend here."

"Oh. Of course," Belle says. I've been standing here awkwardly until Belle says, "This is Ariel. Ariel, this is my father, Maurice."

"Hi," I say.

"Nice to meet you," Maurice says cheerfully.

"Papa," Belle says carefully, "can you tell me again... about the castle?"

"Castle? What castle?"

Concern flashes through Belle's eyes. "The castle. Don't you remember? You were driving through the woods to show your invention to the - and then you took a wrong - castle - the beast! Can't you remember?" she stammers, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"Oh, vaguely," Maurice says. "It was merely a wrong turn to a mansion, Belle. Silly old me thought it was a castle. And the darkness made me think the owner, a rather large fellow, was a beast. His voice certainly made me think so. I mean, a beast! With fangs and everything! What a fool I had been..."

"Papa, what have they been doing to you?" Belle says, again her voice careful.

"Oh, you know, the pills, the therapy, the talking. It all makes sense, if you think about it. I can show you their explanation of everything. In fact I might be able to go home sooner than expected!" Maurice says. He begins combing through his stuff again. "Isn't that great?"

"Yeah," Belle says weakly. "Great. Well, it was good to see you again, Papa. I'd better get Ariel down to see her therapist."

"Oh, you'll like them," Maurice assures me. "Any problems you've got, they ease it, even make it go away!"

"Bye, Papa," Belle says sadly.

"Well, good-bye, Belle!" Maurice says cheerfully as Belle pulls me towards the door.

"Beast?" I say as Belle closes the door.

"Mm. Can you not say anything about it to anyone else?" Belle says. "I.. need to talk to you. About something important."

"Okay," I say in surprise, looking at her closely.

"But not here," Belle says. "Not now. When we get back to the Ward. For now, we'd better get you back to see your therapist."

* * *

He is nicknamed "Genie". Many of the therapists have nicknames here, for a reason that belongs to the asylum and no outsiders. There is the "Walrus", the "Blue Fairy", and "Grandmother Willow". They are indeed very friendly, cheerful and kind. As I walk alongside Genie, heading towards a room in which our session is to be in, I couldn't help but be curious about his golden bracelets. I grow even more curious when a flustered Genie quickly shrugged off my question.

I decide not to dwell on it. My memories could come back today! It is something I've been longing for ever since I woke up on that beach. It seems so far off in the past now.

"But he was alive," a man is saying miserably as the Blue Fairy, a slim blonde woman, passes us.

"Your puppet was never alive, Geppetto. You were merely believing so after your boat sank and the shock has brought your mind into more stretched possibilities," she says, her voice fading as the two walked on.

"Come on in, Ariel," Genie says cheerfully, holding the door open for me. I slowly enter the room. It looks comfy enough, though it is still white.

"Now, the process that is sometimes used to get your memory back is a little thing called hypnosis. Have you heard of it?"

I consider and shake my head.

"Hypnosis is when you are put into a trance, into an induced sleep in which your sesceptibility to suggestion heightens. Hopefully, I'll be able to draw back your memories through this way," he explains. I slowly nod, though my confusion only heightens. The only thing I know is that it would help me get back my memories, and that is good enough for me.

"Now, sit here," Genie says as he guides me towards a chair.

As I sink into it, the first thing that pops from my mouth is, "Will it hurt?"

"No. No, absolutely not," Genie says reassuringly. "Okay, now relax." He pulls out a long chain. I wonder if he is going to put it around my neck when he begins to swing it in front of me. "Watch the motion only with your eyes. You are starting to feel tired..."

* * *

I feel frustration as if I were wandering in a pitch-black maze, going forward until I hit smack into a solid wall. But instead of a wall, all I can grasp is emptiness - something that isn't there. It's as if I were teetering on the edge, about to tumble into nothing but darkness, falling and falling until I'm not there anymore.

There is a disembodied voice somewhere in this darkness, but clear; "At the snap of my fingers, you will wake up."

I hear the snap, and my eyes open. Genie's concerned face as well as the small room swam in front of me, focusing as I blink. "Do you remember anything?"

It took me a second to process what he asked, and I shake my head. Disappointment is a blow to the gut.

"Hm," Genie says. "This is a different case altogether. We should set up another appointment. You're from the Ward, aren't you? Have any relatives come to pick you up?"

Again, a shake of the head, disappointment dragging down my heart into my stomach.

"Hm," Genie muses. "Well, that will have to be all today. Come along, Ariel." He stands and walks over to the door, opening it for me. I nod to him gratefully, my throat too tight from disappointment to thank him.

As we begin walking back down to the lobby, I hear a voice say, "If I were looking for a white rabbit, I'd ask the Mad Hatter."

Alice's voice follows: "The Mad Hatter? Oh, no no no..."

"Or, you could ask the March Hare, in that direction."

"Oh, thank you. I think I'll see him..."

"Of course, he's mad, too."

"But I don't want to go among mad people!" Alice sounds indignant.

"Oh, you can't help that. Most everyone's mad here." The unfamiliar voice chuckles, before maniacally laughing. "You may have noticed that I'm not all there myself."

Genie quickens his step. "Alice?"

"And the mome raths outgabe..." the voice sings, fading.

We turn the corner again, seeing Alice stare up at the ceiling with an annoyed look on her face. "Goodness," she says.

"Alice? Who were you talking to?" Genie says quickly, following her gaze. No other room are in earshot, and there are only tables with wheels and cleaning closets in this hallway.

"Why, the Chesire Cat of course," Alice replies promptly.

"The cat?"

"The Chesire Cat," Alice quickly corrects. "A grinning cat. Right up there."

After an awkward moment of silence before Genie says, "Well, we better get you back to your room. Ariel, please come along."

"Oh, okay," I say. I didn't really want to stay even longer in this place. "But, perhaps I can find my way back to the lobby...?"

"No, you'll have to stay with us due to the chance you'll get lost. Don't worry, it shouldn't take too long." Genie regains his cheerful voice.

"Okay."

Alice keeps talking, and is apparently irritated by the Chesire's annoying and confusing talk. "He says he's seen the white rabbit going this way, and when I ask to confirm it he acts as if he didn't say so at all! Then he asks if I can stand on my head. That cat!" Alice exclaims.

I trail behind, looking around the white hallway. As we pass a door just barely open, I hear a woman's voice drift from inside; "Sounds like someone's sick. How lovely. I do hope it's serious. Something dreadful."

I frown and turn towards the door, partly in curiosity and partly in disgust. I peer in, seeing a stout, gray-haired woman wearing the same blue gown as Alice.

"Oh! Why, my dear! Do come in!" She calls upon seeing me.

"Oh," I say, looking towards where Genie and Alice are still walking.

"Well, why not? Do you want to play a game? I'm mad about games," she says. I can hear her walking up towards me, and I turn my head to see her face, round with warts and big sickly green eyes. "Boo!"

"Oh!" I squeak in surprise.

"Well, my girl, you certainly have a powerful spell on you, don't you?" she says almost gleefully.

"Spell? On me?"

"Most certainly. I even believe you will have at least two weeks before you change back."

"Change back? Into what?"

"Oh! Silly me. If you don't know, I shouldn't tell you!"

"Who are you?"

"Why, I am the magnificent, marvelous, mad mad mad MAD - Madame Mim!" She laughs gleefully, throatily, clapping her hands and bouncing on the balls of her feet like a young child.

"Ariel?"

I turn my head towards Genie's voice, who hurried towards me. "Mim, are you -"

"Oh, isn't it most interesting?" Madame Mim says. "A sea creature on land!"

Her laughter echoes in my ears.

* * *

"What did you want to tell me?" I say as Belle closes the door to our room. She bites her lip and looks at me.

"I do need someone to tell," she says.

"Something about a beast," I say. Her eyes darkens.

"About a monster," she says.

* * *

**A/N: *wipes brow* I do hate procrastinating. So, Madame Mim, being a magical person (who didn't attempt to hide it) knows about the energy left from the spell placed on Ariel in her aura. **

**You will be seeing more of those at the asylum, but not until a week in story time.  
**

**I didn't write Belle's story yet (I figured this chapter's as long as it is, and I want to get it up as soon as possible). However, you won't be hearing it (it does have its differences from the Disney movie you'll want to know) until I get... hm, how about at least three reviews on this story? My motivation is waning.  
**

**So, read, review, favorite, and follow! Thank you readers!  
**


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